Follow Us on Google
A legal practitioner, Barr. Wilfred Usani, has indicated interest to represent the people of Cross River Central Senatorial District in the Senate in 2023 under the People’s Democratic Party.
Usani, who declared his interest for the red chambers seat during a meeting with the six Chapter Chairmen of the PDP and ward coordinators of his “One Central Campaign”, said that his agenda for the people of the Central was to prioritise their overall development as a people.
He told the Chapter Chairmen that his desire to seek the party’s ticket for Cross River Central was to foster development to the Central through the creation of jobs, road infrastructure, healthcare services, improved agricultural production to a more commercial venture, provision of basic amenities like water, light, and many others.
“I want to be a senator because I know that our people need good representation, engaging representation, and robust social welfare.
“We need to stop the modern-day slavery that has bedeviled our people. We are taken out to work in plantations and all inhuman places. Our people are very timid and most often do not have a voice of their own. My training as a lawyer has positioned me to look at problems and advance solutions to them.
“I am not coming because I want to go and make money for people to enrich themselves or for me to enrich myself as well, I am already living comfortably. We need to engage in a new paradigm shift in good representation.
“And to you our Chapter Chairmen, we seek your permission to take our campaign to the Local Government. We can’t do this without your approval. We do not intend to divide our party but to create a peaceful, one indivisible party that will bring the dividends of democracy to our people,” he said.
Barr. Usani added that his purpose for seeking to represent the people of the Central Senatorial District was to propagate a new vision for the social, political and economic development of the people of the Central Senatorial District of Cross River and the country at large.
Despite the existence of huge natural resources in solid minerals, agriculture, trade and tourism, our people are dirt poor and largely still very primitive and live by subsistence agriculture. This vision places the security and welfare of the people at the center of our legislative agenda.
Barr. Usani is presently the Principal Partner and Head of Practice in the Law firm of Ethan & Magdiel (Barristers & Solicitors) based in Calabar, Cross River State. He has been in active legal practice since 1999 and has garnered substantial experience in various aspects of legal practice, particularly in commercial civil litigation and other aspects of corporate/commercial law practice.
In March 2012, he was appointed as Special Adviser to former Governor Liyel Imoke on Tourism Development and a member of Cross River State Executive Council. As Special Adviser, he initiated and led the implementation of a number of groundbreaking reforms in the tourism sector in the state including the drafting of the Cross River State Historical and Heritage Sites Preservation bill which was passed into law by the State House of Assembly in 2014 and meant to provide the framework for the preservation of the historical and heritage sites and properties of the state and utilise them for tourism purpose.
Also speaking, Director General of “One Central Campaign”, Hon. Gerald Odok, said that the campaign is a PDP support platform formed to promote the aspiration of Barr. Usani.
According to Odok, the mission of the campaign was to enthrone a new leadership in the state and continue the legacy of effective representation of the senatorial district in the senate; a representation that is competent, empathic to the plight of the people, and innovative enough to proffer solutions to the political, economic and social problems plaguing the country, the state, and the senatorial district.
He noted that the name of the group reflects the vision of the members who view the people of the senatorial district as “one people” and leveraging on this oneness to harness the collective human and natural resources of the senatorial district to pursue the development of the whole senatorial district with the people living and working together in harmony.
Speaking on behalf of the PDP Chapter Chairmen, Mr Godwin Igwe, who is the Chairman of the Chapter Chairmen forum, declared their support for the aspiration of Barr. Usani, adding that they will give him the support he needs as he embarks into the 66 wards in Cross River Central for consultation.
While describing Barr. Usani as an intelligent, resourceful, and a calm gentleman, Igwe charged him to call on them whenever he needs their presence and support.
