From Judex Okoro, Calabar
Governor Ben Ayade’s loyalists have swept all the National Assembly seats in the All Progressives Congress (APC) primary elections conducted across Cross River amid protest by some aspirants alleging irregularities in the process.
Ahead of the congresses, the ruling APC has been engrossed politics of consensus and zoning to be able to prune down the numbers of aspirants and reduce uneccessary acrimony and tension associated with party primaries.
Investigations by Daily sun revealed that while series of meetings were going on among the stakeholders, Ayade’s political apine doctors were discreetly working on “Oga’s list” for the House of Assembly, House of Representatives and the Sanate.
It was learnt that the plan seems to have been sailed through as all aspirants that have emerged as party candidates were on that list with the former Chief of Staff to Governor BeN Ayade, the Speaker Cross River House of Assembly, Rt Hon williams Eteng Deputy Speaker, Rt. Hon Joseph Bassey and Ntufam Edim Inok leading the pack.
At the northern senatorial district primary election, Hon. Martins Orim picked the ticket. In the senatorial race, which had Martins Orims and Cecilia Adams, Orim polled 254 votes against Cecilia Adams who acored zero.
In the southern senatorial district, Ayade’s immediate past finance commissioner, Mr. Asuquo Ekpeyong Jnr, clinched the senatorial ticket.
Declaring Ekpeyong winner, the returning officer, Barr. Chioma Nzekwe, said: “Ekpeyong polled 347 votes against his political opponent in the contest Mr. Victor Effiom Ekpo, who scored zero vote.”
In his post election speech, Ekpenyong, thanked his supporters and members of the party who stood by him all through the times of campaigns, pledging not to betray the confidence reposed in him just as he called for more support to enable the party to win 2023 general elelction.
In the Cross River central senatorial district, the Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Eteng Williams, emerged victorious at primary election by beating four others contestants.
While Eteng Williams polled 152 votes, his closest rival and the chairman of Nigeria Ports Authourity (NPA), Akin Rickets, polled 109 votes with Mary Ekpere, who scored 35 votes, and Okoi Obono Obla, Esq, former Special Assistant to President Buhari polling 19 votes.
For the eight House of Representatives seats in the state, four incumbent members were compensated for their unalloyed support and returned to the Lower Chamber of the National Assembly. They include Rt. Hon Legor Idagbor, Rt. Hon Mike Etaba, Hon Alex Egbona and Hon. Jude Ngaji representing Bekwarra/Obudu/Obanliku, Obubra/Etung, Abi/Yakurr and Ogoja/Yala federal constituencies respectively.
The new entrants, said to be die-hard followers of Ayade, who clinched the Reps ticket are Rt. Hon Joseph Bassey, the Deputy Speaker of Cross River Assembly, Mr Edim Inok, immediate past state chairman of APC and Dr. Emil Iyang, chairman of Board of Governing Council of University of Cross River State, for Calabar South/Akpabuyo/Bakassi, Calabar Municipality/Odukpani and Akampka/Biase federal constituencies respectively.
Commending the process in his constituency, Dr Emil Inyang, who polled 99 votes to win Akamkpa/Biase federal constituency seat, said: “My victory is a validation that the people yearn for quality leadership which I am determined to bring home when elected in 2023.
“My representation at NASS would be an all-inclusive one. This victory is for all of us and I am disposed to working with everyone who took part in the process to aspire for the position.”
Exressing wory at the processes that threw up the candidate for central senatorial district, one of the aspirants and founding member of APC, Chief Okoi Obono Obla,Esq, said the party in the state is fractured beyond redemption due to the imposition of candidates during the selection process.
Obla, in a statement, alleged that “the senatorial congress for the nomination of the candidate of the central senatorial district of Cross River State held at Ikom on May 28, 2022, was a charade as the election was marred by vote-buying perpetuated by desperate aspirants in front of security agents.”
He further alleged that all the aspirants, except the “annionted one”, did not know who would be the electors (delegates) at the election until they got to the venue of the primary election, adding that he was not surprised as rhe delegates’s lists were altered and doctored by the powers that be to support the “anointed aspirant“.
“Every politically informed person was aware that a particular aspirant was the favorite of the powers that be. The brandishing of the name of one particular as the favored one weeks before the election amounts to intimidation.
“The potentate makes sure that you must have his endorsement before you can aspire to become a candidate. Aspirants that did not have the endorsement of the potentate, had sorts of obstacles thrown along their paths.
I”was the target from day one.
The powers that be were at a crossroads on what to do with me and therefore devised crude and inferior methods to edge me out.
The APC has completed deviated from the philosophy of its founding fathers.
“Let us see how the anointed aspirants will deliver the Party in the Cross River State. As it stands the Party, is fractured beyond redemption.”
Bemoaning his tactical sidelining from the process, one of the aspirants to South/Akpabuyo/Bakassi federal constituency, Mr Saviour Nyong, alleged that there was no election at all and wondered why somebody should be declared a winner when primary election did not hold.
Another aspirant for Calabar Municipality/Odukpani federal constituency, Mr Robert Ani, the son of former powerful minister of fimance, Etubom Anthony Ani, were said to have complained to some of his supporters that he was totally schemed out and could not even have access to the venue of the election or knew who where the delegates to the election.
As at the time of filling this report, primary election is yet to be conducted for Ikom/Boki federal constituency as all the seven aspirants are up in arms against consensus arrangement and rather want to go to the poll and test their popularity with delegates.
Further investigations revealed that the aspirants are alleging doctoring of delegates’ lists to favour the “annionted aspirant.”
The aspirants including Dr Jeck Otu Enya, former commissioner for Aviation, Rt Hon Edward Ogon, former Rep, Hon Cletus Obun, former APC Vice chairman, Mr Victor Abang and Pastor Ewa have decried attempts by powers-that-be to impose a candidate on the constituency, insisting that not only on free and fair election to bring peace, but that the delegates’ list must be displayed for all to see according to law before they can into an election.