2023: Back to South Forum backs APC guber candidate in C/River

A Non Partisan Group, Greater Calabar Forum (GCF), has thrown it weight behind the candidate governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the 2023 elections in Cross River.

The Forum under the leadership of Etubom Ironbar, made the disclosure in a press conference in Calabar on Monday.

The Forum noted that thought they ate not partisan, but the decision to back the APC governorship candidate is to ensure that the State’s number seat returned to the Southern Senatorial District of the state.

Ironbar noted that since the three senatorial districts of the state have had their turn, it was morally right that the seat is returned to the South where it started from.

He particularly noted that before the various political parties conducted their primaries, the Forum met and made the parties know why they should pick their respective candidates from from South.

“We did sensitive the political parties, especially the two major ones, APC and PDP on the Back To South Agenda (BTSA) was still very much alive.

“While the APC did picked their candidate from the South the PDP picked from the central after we had met with the 10 aspirants then on the need to support one of them from the South.

“We had to fall back to the candidate chosen by the APC because he is from the South and this is based on the principle of equity , fairness and Justice,” he stated.

Ironbar stressed that the need to holistically come out to support the APC candidate was because they would not want to miss this opportunity.

He said should they miss it in 2023, it would take another eight years or decade for power to come back to South

“It seems a lot of people are a bit confused about the direction of the BTSA , but we are here to set the records straight , the agenda is still on course.

“As days go by, we shall roll out our programmes from the wards up to the local government and senatorial districts levels, every eligible voter would be well enlightened by our structures at these levels.

“If we miss this window which we had stayed off for 16 years, it might run into years or decades before we can ever get it back,” he stated.

The leader of the Forum said that it must be disclosed that they are not been funded by any individual or group .

According to him, “We are not getting sponsorship from anybody, not even the candidate we are supporting.

“But because it is a cause that we believe in, we are making personal sacrifices to make sure we drive home our standpoint.

“We are only trying to foster the mind of the people who are very dear to our hearts and we want to stand by it, through thick and thin, this is our turn , and we cannot shy away from it .

“The party can do their thing, we don’t want to stand and watch this disorder. many think it is a dead issue because the PDP took a candidate from central, but the APC has also chosen a candidate and we would stand by him.”