OPINION: PDP Presidential Candidate In Sight: Why Sandy Onor And His Burden Of Electoral Irrelevance Should Not Be Taken Seriously – By Godwin Bisong

By every political measurement, presidential ambition must rest on credibility, electoral strength, grassroots acceptance, and proven leadership.

It cannot be built on personal wishful thinking, elite lobbying, or carefully packaged political deception.

This is why any attempt to project Senator Sandy Onor as a serious PDP presidential contender deserves closer scrutiny-and should not be taken seriously.

Politics, especially at the presidential level, is not charity. It is not a reward for persistence in and around the Federal Capital Territory Authority (FCTA) Chief Executive.

It is a contest of structure, influence, and proven capacity to mobilize people.

Unfortunately, the records do not support the narrative being constructed around Sandy Onor.

The most basic test of political relevance begins at home. Can a politician command his ward? Can he win his polling unit? Can he deliver his local government? These are not extraordinary expectations; they are the minimum requirements for anyone seeking higher office.

Yet, during the 2023 governorship election in Cross River State, Sandy Onor failed these basic tests. He lost his ward, lost his polling unit, and lost his local government.

A politician unable to secure victory within his immediate political environment cannot credibly market himself as a national candidate capable of leading Nigeria.This is not personal criticism; it is political reality.

Even within his supposed political base in Usofang and across the wider Etung local government political structure, there is no visible evidence of strong electoral control.

His inability to establish dominant grassroots support raises serious questions about the foundation of any presidential aspiration.

Presidential candidacy requires national acceptability, but national ambition without local legitimacy is political fiction.

This is why His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR and the larger political establishment must be careful of what can best be described as a Greek gift- carefully packaged loyalty that conceals personal ambition.

Political actor who failed to secure trust at home even among his Peoples Democratic Party PDP family in Cross River State, often seek relevance by presenting himself as strategic ally at the center.

Mr. President must not be deceived by such calculated positioning.
Cross River State remains firmly aligned with President Tinubu’s leadership and re-election project because the people recognize visible governance and stability.

The performance of Governor Bassey Otu across infrastructure, governance reforms, security, economic repositioning, and people-centered administration has further deepened public confidence in progressive leadership.

Cross Riverians understand performance, and they know the difference between governance and political noise.

The attempt to manufacture a presidential profile around Sandy Onor ignores one important principle: numbers do not lie.

The 2023 governorship election results remain public evidence of where political strength truly resides. The votes recorded across local governments clearly expose the limits of his political influence.

Before anyone begins to dream of Aso Rock, they must first answer for their performance at home.

Presidential ambition is serious business. It demands sacrifice, public trust, and measurable political capital. It cannot be sustained by media narratives alone or by proximity to Abuja power circles.

Those pushing the illusion of Sandy Onor as a viable PDP presidential figure are selling fantasy, not strategy.

Cross River is not confused.The people know where they stand. They stand with progress, stability, leadership and renewed hope agenda that delivers results.

Cross River is for President Tinubu.And any so-called PDP presidential project built on electoral irrelevance is, quite simply, dead on arrival.

Their 2031 calculation in Cross River State is already known to all and sundry, and the citizens are saying never again to a somersaulting caterpillar that destroys rather than constructs.

Comrade Godwin Ogar Bisong is a former PDP member and public affairs analyst. He writes from Ikom, Cross River State.

Ogarbisong72@gmail.com