An open letter to H.E Sen. Prof. Ben Ayade, the Executive Governor of Cross River State on the purported election of NACRISS WW.
By Victor Bisong
Your Excellency,
I am constrained to put up this open letter to you by the gloomy prospect of our next generation of leaders who have failed to show any form of integrity in the run off activities preceding our take over in the nearest future. As a young man from Cross River State, if I do not lend my voice to this, I would not be justified to cry foul if this extends into our state leadership in the future.
Your Excellency, we are yet to recover from the massive ridicule the present President of NACRISS WW has caused the organisation by failing hugely in resuscitating the association that was the pacesetter for others. After more than a year in office, NACRISS WW have not been credited with anything new because of the President who doesn't care but for himself and his immediate cronies. This is hugely a function of his Incompetence as President and lack of the will to serve.
As customary, an electoral committee was set by the President to conduct fresh elections and the date, 17th August, 2019, was scheduled for the elections. On the said date, an attempt to hijack the process failed when some unidentified security personnels came to kidnap the Electoral Committee chairman, Comr. Okono Moses, but for the timely intervention of men of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad who rescued him to the State Housing command of the Nigerian Police Force. Consequently, the chairman announced postponement of the elections to Saturday, 24th August, 2019 to fix proper security to conduct a free, fair and credible elections in a more secured atmosphere for all. This postponement was done when he returned to the election venue in the presence and approval of stakeholders, Local Government Presidents, Chapter Presidents, delegates, students, pressmen and other security personnels.
To the greatest bewilderment of the aforementioned, information reached that the President went back after everyone dispersed to conduct an election in guise of Electoral Committee with the assistance of the Electoral Committee Secretary thereby breaching constitutional provisions for the conduct of NACRISS WW elections. The election that was done without the presence of any candidate nor other parties directly involved was said said to have favoured a certain candidate who was said to have paid the President huge sums of money to declare him winner.
Sir, an immediate Press release was sent by the Electoral Committee chairman for NACRITES to disregard the purported election and in his release, he said he was called to attend a meeting at Transcorp Hotel the penultimate night and the deal was brought to favour one Comr. Emmanuel Orok who at best would not secure a Local Government vote for himself. In his usual doggedness and resolve to put NACRISS WW where it belongs, the Electoral Committee chairman refused to kowtow and was assured of a security attack to force him to favour the said Comr. Emmanuel Orok from Calabar South Local Government Area.
Your Excellency, it is worrisome that our future relies on people like this who have fought civility and integrity to a stand still in their lives. People who can sweep fairness into the gutters for paltry sums. People who have violence as their stock in trade. People whose only interest is their pocket size and depth. However, it is more worrisome that people who we thought should be showing the right values are the ones igniting and fanning the embers of this miscreants to create more discord and hasten the dying life of NACRISS WW. Without prejudice, I make bold to announce that NACRISS WW has suffered from the undue interference of top government officials who use your office to create disorganisation in NACRISS WW yearly. After elections, they run into their SUVs and forget about how the organisation thrives since they have aided the dubious emergence of their candidate.
Your excellency, how long are we going to battle with these top government officials who have failed in their primary roles as Commissioners and other offices they hold. How long are we going to wait before students would be allowed to conduct elections of, for and by themselves! This interference has further plunged NACRISS WW into worse situations. An organisation that should have been championing the interest of students have become a stooge for some political vultures to orchestrates their egocentric aspirations. We demand a stop to this!
I sincerely appeal that you call your Chief of Staff, Mr Martin Orim and Mr Oliver Orok whose names have been on the lips of many to dissociate themselves from this attempt suggesting their involvement with activities of NACRISS WW elections. I do not want to believe they are involved as many have accused because It is unbecoming of people of their cadre and embarrassing to your administration.
Yours Sincerely!
Victor Bisong
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