15 politicians jostle for Cross River ministerial slot

 No fewer than 15 persons in Cross River State have indicated interest in being part of President Muhammadu Buhari’s cabinet, which would automatically make the person the ruling party’s highest political leader in the state.

The contenders are mostly top All Progressives Congress(APC), politicians who contested governorship, national and state assembly posts, but lost to Peoples Democratic Party(PDP), in the state.

The fierce rivalry and factionalisation of the state chapter of APC, which eventually cost its victory in the last election, have also heightened as the selection of a minister from the state begins.

The party leaders, according to sources, are said to have made a strong position to the President, reminding him of the betrayal caused by those who now seek to be appointed into his cabinet.

A chieftain of the APC in Cross River State and Deputy National Treasurer of the Presidential Campaign Council, Chief Utum Eteng, while reacting to the development, cautioned President Buhari not to reward any of the politicians who caused him and his party defeat in the state with a ministerial post.

Utum, who is also a member of the Legal Committee of the Presidential Campaign Council, said the people of Cross River State would only appreciate the appointment of a top technocrat, who would dedicate time and energy to work for the state rather than a politician.