By Archibong Jeremiah
Pressure is mounting on the Cross River State chapter Chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, Barr. Alphonsus Ogar Eba to resign. The reason is the party’s poor outing in his immediate zone of influence, the ward, local government area, and the northern senatorial district where he hails from.
High Chief Henry Onwe, who served as Coordinator of the Governorship Campaign in Yala LGA in the just concluded general election, leads the group drumming for Eba’s immediate resignation.
Speaking with journalists in Calabar, the State capital alleged that “Eba did not only betray the Governor, Sen. Ben Ayade, who contested the senatorial position for the district by shamefully losing many polling units in his area, losing several wards, local government and the senatorial district which is unacceptable for a State Chairman of a ruling party like the APC.”
The group said it is more pained by the loss of the Senatorial election by Senator Professor Ben Ayade, Governor of Cross River State who would have become the Senate President, a position the State and people of the northern district would have benefited significantly.
The group presented some of the results in Echemofana ward where the State Chairman comes from asserting that he ought to have won effortlessly going by the enormous resources available to him.
According to them “in the Presidential election at Igbeku Comprehensive Secondary School (013), APC got 115 votes while LP scored 178 votes. At Akreha Health Centre unit (015), APC had 49 votes while LP scored 128 votes. At the third polling unit, Playground Echemofana, Etiekpo unit (005) APC got 91 votes while LP polled 139.
“At unit 004, Igbeku Comprehensive Secondary School, APC got just 70 votes while LP scored 83 votes. At Playground Echiakpo, APC 111 votes while LP got 134 votes.
“In the House of Representatives election, it was the same story of poor performance recorded against the APC in the immediate polling units of the party’s Chairman, the group added. At Akreha Health Centre unit (015), APC got 71 votes while PDP went home with 109 votes, and at Playground Oloko Ipuole Street, (008) PDP had 92 while APC had 88 votes. At Playground Echiakpu (002), PDP had 138 votes and APC 133 votes.”
In the Senate race contested by the State Governor “who has been so magnanimous to Mr. Eba, the result in Echemofana was nothing to write home about, at Igbeku Comprehensive Secondary School, APC had 82 votes and PDP 88. At the same venue, (013) APC had 161, same PDP 161 Playground Echiakpo PDP pulled 138 while APC came behind with 134 votes.
“Also at Etiekpo Playground PDP had a whooping 182 and APC 119 votes. At Primary School Echemofana PDP scored 135 votes and APC could only manage 118 votes.
“The same scenario played out at Playground Oloko (008) where PDP had 98 votes and APC 91. At Akreha Health Centre (015) PDP had 109 while APC came far behind with 75 votes. At Ipuole Ekprinyi (016) PDP led with 68 votes while APC got 63. The performance of the APC was shameful and falls far short of expectations considering the huge resources at the disposal of the State Chairman of APC.” the group held.
They said it is unfortunate that Eba despite his poor performance is now accusing people of anti-party activities.
High Chief Onwe urged the party members to focus more on building the party and reconciling aggrieved members rather than creating enemies within the party. Stressing that Eba ought to have since resigned without any prompting.
“If you look at the results from Yache ward where Dr. Stephen Odey comes from, and Echimofana ward where the State Chairman hails from, you will see a significant difference because Odey swept the polls in both the Presidential and Senate ballots while Eba couldn’t. The big question now is, what gives him the onus to continue to remain as State Chairman of our great party?
“We call on Eba to resign before he plunges our great party into more misfortunes and shame in the local government elections.” He said.
Our newsroom has contacted the State APC Chairman for comment.