Senator Eteng Jones Williams and Mary Ekpere, aspirants in the All Progressives Congress (APC) Cross River Central Senatorial District primary, have urged the party’s national leadership to disregard the outcome of the purported primary election conducted on Monday, describing it as a charade and an affront to the leadership of the party.
Addressing a large crowd in Ikom on Monday evening, the duo said the exercise violated an earlier directive of the party, which barred Hon. Oden Ewa from participating after failing to meet clearance requirements. They also noted that the party had directed that all results be submitted to the national headquarters for ratification.
Eteng alleged that the process was compromised through the hoarding of election materials and the use of an illegitimate electoral panel set up to manipulate the outcome in favour of a predetermined candidate.
He further claimed that supporters who arrived at designated wards and local government collation centres as early as 7:00 a.m. and waited till 12 noon met empty venues, as voting locations were changed overnight to disenfranchise voters.
According to him, the development amounted to a deliberate attempt by those he described as “the powers that be” to suppress participation and impose a preferred outcome.
In her remarks, Mary Ekpere disclosed that her name was deliberately removed from the list of aspirants in Cross River Central and moved to Cross River North in an attempt to remove her from the race.
She claimed the action was taken by the state chapter of the party to clear the path for a preferred candidate of the state government.
“We are all members of the APC who worked for the survival of the party during its difficult years. The selective treatment given to Oden Ewa despite his disqualification is unacceptable. Governor Otu should not allow selfish interests to undermine the party,” she said.
Supporters at the gathering cautioned against actions capable of deepening divisions within the party and triggering protest votes in the forthcoming elections.
They called for appropriate sanctions to restore discipline and order, warning that any compromise of party supremacy could lead to internal disarray capable of undermining electoral victory.
