by crossriverwatch admin
The directives by the Cross River State governor, Senator Liyel Imoke that the PDP adopts consensus candidates to run the 2013 Local Government Council election seems not to have gone down well with his deputy, Barrister Efiok Cobham who may have decided to test the capacity of his boss to ensure that his directives are not carried out to the latter by insisting that the party primaries hold in Odukpani to elect a candidate to be the party’s standard bearer in the 2013 local government elections.
Efiok Cobham who is engaged in a battle for supremacy with other political heavy weights in Odukpani like Prince Bassey Otu, the Senator representing southern senatorial district of the state and Ntufam Ekpo Okon, the erstwhile PDP chairman in the state wants to prove his superiority and power base in the area.
Cobham who is said to be backing the incumbent chairman, Barrister Stephen Asuquo to return to his post is allegedly thumbing his chest that he would beat those backed by Prince Otu and Ekpo Okon.
Cobham a reliable source told crossriverwatch allegedly doctored the list of PDP caucus members and Elders’ Forum in Odukpani which accords him the confidence that he could beat Prince Otu and Okon who are said to be backing Pius Bassey and Oqua Edet respectively for the post of chairman of Odukpani.
“He has included the names of his personal staff who are from Akpabuyo and Calabar South in the caucus list of Odukpani and so many other persons who ought not to be part of the Elders’ Forum have been included in the list just to ensure that they vote for Barrister Asuquo on the 4th of June”. Our source claimed.
Imoke’s deputy who is still savoring his unfettered access to power and influence thrust on him during his principal’s absence for four months seems to have gained so much in terms of resources and power base to dare his once political soul mates, Ekpo Okon and Prince Otu while waving away the instructions of the governor that the PDP leaders in every local government area reach a consensus and pick a candidate for the party both at the ward and chapter levels to avoid the friction and mayhem that characterized the 2007 PDP local government election primaries in the state.
Prince Otu who is aware of plans by the former governor of the state, Mr Donald Duke to contest for the post of Senator in 2015 is not leaving anything to chance in making sure he plants his loyalists at the wards across the seven council areas in the south to place him on solid footing against Duke’s upsurge in 2015.
“He is one person who can shout at Efiok and he looks down so the issue is not whether Efiok has doctored the list of elders and caucus in his favor, at the right time we shall see who takes the upper hand” a source close to Otu said.
Ekpo Okon who is on the other hand trying to reinvest himself and launch a come back after his exit as the PDP state chairman wants to use the primaries on the 4th of June to test his power base.
“Nkoyo Toyo knows that she may not be re-elected in 2015 since the likes of Ekpo Okon and Akiba are breathing down her neck to serve her term and get out, but this is one battle Ekpo Okon has to fight with all his might if he wants to regain some relevance in the Odukpani political chess board”. A source said.
Imoke has not said anything yet as to the insistence of his deputy to have PDP primaries in Odukpani, but suffice to say Cobham’s action is a slap on his face as other councils like Abi, Boki, Yala have elected their standard bearers without much rancor as requested by the governor who is the leader of the party in the state.
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