By Our Correspondent
Cross River State governor, Senator Liyel Imoke, Friday warned the electorate in the state not to fall prey to desperate politicians who may be out to hoodwink them into selling their Permanent Voter Cards, otherwise called PVC.
According to Governor Imoke, “selling your PVC is tantamount to automatically disenfranchising yourselves and that is dangerous for politics. ”
The governor’s warning came against the backdrop of reports that desperate politicians have been going around luring unsuspecting electorate to sell their PVCs.
The governor who gave the warning when the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) campaign train stopped over at Ikot Nakanda, headquarters of Akpabuyo Local Government Area in continuation of its statewide rally and interaction with traditional rulers and opinion leaders, maintained that the only way they could enforce the desired change is by possessing their PVCs which he noted was their power to decide their political future.
He lamented the action of a few politicians who have decided to toe the path of enemies of democracy by desperately seeking political offices by any means necessary, thereby damming its attendant consequences on ordinary citizens. Governor Imoke said the act was criminal and must be resisted by all.
Imoke regretted that typical of Nigeria politicians, they tend to create a divide and rule tactic so as to remain relevant in their respective enclaves thereby ignoring the greater grouping that will unite more people in the state.
He noted that “as they continue to fight themselves, the division is played up in order to keep the ordinary people apart so that they can see themselves as enemies.”
While vowing to fight vigorously any form of violence, thuggery and divisive tendencies before, during and after the general elections, Imoke urged the youth not to allow themselves to be used by politicians to perpetrate violence.
He also advised politicians to eschew all forms of bitterness and divisive tendencies and close ranks in order to build a more formidable party and a state that can compete favorably among its peers.
Minister of Culture, Tourism & National Orientation, High Chief Edem Duke who is an indigene of the Akpabuyo, called on the people to turn out and vote massively for President Goodluck Jonathan, the state PDP governorship candidate, Senator Ben Ayade and all the PDP candidates as that was the only way the transformation agenda initiated by the government would be actualized.
Prof Ben Ayade, the PDP standard bearer who was received with so much enthusiasm by the people promised to touch as many lives as possible when elected. He warned the people on the implication of dividing votes, saying the only way he could perform effectively was to have one ruling family from top to bottom.