Cross River as PDP safe zone fending off ACN invasion

Ostensibly, courtesy of this election season, Cross River State is no longer regarded as a one-party state.  Since the onset of the period, there has been feverish preparation, mobilization, campaign, hard talking and visibility of the opposition parties.

One of such has been the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) which before now feebly barks, courtesy of its irrepressible state chairman, Hon. Cletus Obun. The ACN recently acquired a small-sized office opposite the UJ Esuene Stadium. It has attracted high profile membership from other parties, including the PDP.  Amongst the new decampees is Hon. Jerry Agba, the Cross River State House of Assembly Committee Chairman on Information and Public Relations. Such other personalities like Professor Eyo Etim Nyong, an erstwhile All Nigeria People’s Party (ANPP) chieftain who later pitched camp with the PDP, and one-time federal permanent secretary Sir Patrick Iwara that decamped from PDP, having been defeated at the party’s primaries last January, have now joined the ACN.  They had failed to win as candidates to represent Southern and Central Senatorial Districts respectively on the PDP platform.  After fulfilling all lawful requirements, the ACN opened its arms and had them replace lesser known Dr. Vincent Asor and Patrick Ashiple whom it had earlier endorsed for the race.

The party has also picked Senator Matthew Tawo Mbu  jnr as it governorship candidate. Unveiling him to the public, the state chairman said “he has the political sagacity, pedigree and resources as well as ability to appeal to the electorate throughout the state.  With him, the ACN is certainly going to win the governorship race in the state.”

Other parties have similarly paraded their flag-bearers.  Of course, the PDP has the sitting governor, Senator Liyel Imoke.  Governor Imoke did not encounter any stress in his bid to get a ticket for another term in office as he was the only aspirant for the election.  He got all the 744 votes cast by the delegates going to him, except the lone vote that was voided. The victory came after the northern caucus of the party resolved that no one from the district should aspire for the governorship race, so that Imoke could finish his second term. Having come from Abi LGA in the Central Senatorial District, he assured them that if they stood by the agreement upon completion of the second term, he would personally work to ensure that the man that would succeed him in 2015 would hail from the North which has never produced a governor.

If the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) succeeds in its bid to challenge the recent federal high court decision that elongated the tenure of five governors, including that of Governor Imoke till 2012, then it means that he will face his determined challengers.

Apart from ACN and PDP, other serious contenders include Labour Party (LP) and ANPP.  The candidate for Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), Etubom Nya Asuquo, is not considered a political threat, as he has no visible influence in the state and is without considerable machinery at his disposal.

Even though Mrs. Ima Nsa Adegoke, the Labour Party candidate, may not also be a serious threat to the PDP, her personal qualities could endear her to the electorate.

An intelligent lawyer who graduated from University of Lagos, she had displayed good knowledge of what she’s going in for. But the extent of her resources, connection, appeal to the people and political dexterity to withstand the intensity of the race may not take her very far. And now the party seems to be cut in an internal debacle which is capable of truncating her ambition as well as the impact of the struggling party whose visibility was nil before now.

Mr. Theophilus Onyuku is the party’s chairman in the state, and was reportedly picked as its flag-bearer in the governorship race next month.  This was later disputed by the party secretary Barrister Remi Agwuezie at a press conference where Mrs Adegoke was unveiled.

“Our party has unanimously picked Mrs Adegoke after very serious consultation and screening.  We are certain that she is the one that will garner enough votes.

“There has not been any crisis within the party as speculated, except that our party chairman, Mr Onyuku has had some issues to settle at the national headquarters of our party. That accounts for why he’s not been very available to run the party,” the secretary told Daily Trust on phone last week.

The party does not really have strong structures even in Calabar let alone in other cities in the other two senatorial districts.

But Adegoke, who has since embarked on state-wide campaign, insists: “I have faced stiffer challenges in life than the governorship race and so I am determined to succeed, and I have seen the indicative signs”.

For ANPP, Barrister Solomon Iheke Awa has again come up for the governorship race as he did in 2007.  But how much impact can he make this time around when the party is not visible and his structures are seemingly weak is main issue here.  He, like the CPC counterpart, does not appear to be a strong contender because much is not heard or seen of him.

For the ruling party, unless a high court over-rules the position of INEC that invalidated its primaries for not involving them as demanded by the Electoral Act, and unless the INEC succeeds at the appeals court to reverse the judicial decision to elongate Imoke’s tenure, the cloud over their participation in the election would remain. Once these matters are cleared, the governor’s chance for re-election is clear. This is because even without the power of incumbency, Imoke still appeals to much of the electorate. The party is much on the ground; and it has the commanding influence and formidability.

Regarding the senatorial race, the candidates paraded by PDP still hold the ace.  Senator Victor Ndoma-Egba who is gunning for the Central Senatorial District seat is doing so for the third time.  He has the machinery, sagacity and resources to achieve this by beating Sir Patrick Iwara of the ACN who earlier contested the PDP ticket with him at the primaries. But Iwara cannot easily be waved aside as he has expended vast resources and has good presence and structures too.

In the Southern Senatorial District, Prince Bassey E. Otu of the PDP appears to be the favourite. He is currently the House of Representatives Committee Chairman on Petroleum, and with the dollar power he can generously distribute to achieve his aim. Professor Eyo Nyong who contested the PDP ticket with him at the primary had to jump ship to ACN where he is the candidate.  In 2003, he had contested the governorship on the platform of ANPP but was forced to withdraw his candidacy. The petroleum engineer and business mogul is very determined to win the seat.

Prof. Ben Ayade has the PDP ticket for the Northern Senatorial District and without any other formidable candidate from another party who is as entrenched as he is, he may be on his way to the Upper legislative chamber.

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