By Archibong Jeremiah

“Dr. Rose Oko is a member of our party, she went to House of Representatives and performed very well as a first timer, after getting the form and preparing for nomination she became sick and for us in PDP we believe so much on family empathy, Rose became ill at the point we were going for primaries and it was a debated thing in the leadership and everybody felt that denying her who has performed so well, someone so loved by her community, just because she became sick it is no more African nature; if I am your father and I am sick, you abandon me; are you a good child?
(A resounding no echoed in the hall) “we could not do that, we are proud that we stood by Rose for good or for bad because standing for the weak is one of the attributes of leadership”.
This is an assertion by the Cross River State Peoples Democratic Party Chairman, Ntufam John Okon in response to the long absence of the party’s Senator Elect for the Cross River North senatorial district, Dr. Rose Oko following her prolonged undisclosed illness.
John Okon who made the assertion while briefing journalists in Calabar said, “We stood for her because she did very well, during her empowerment program, when the Speaker Tambuwal came with other people, she was highly commended as one of the most outstanding female legislator at the federal level. Is it because she had a small set back we will now abandon her to please who? We cannot play God; by God’s grace Rose is okay, and by God’s grace, God will bring her to take her seat”.
Furthermore, he said, “This is not the first time somebody is elected in absentia either in sickness or in prison, the governor of Abia state, Orji throughout his election was he around?, he asked.
Adding that, “We are proud that we stood by her, we are proud that the people of the North stood by us and voted for her. There were other candidates from Labor and APC, we explained to them and they accepted, we are praying that God should bring her back to take her seat”.
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