Cross River: APC elects new Chairman, 35 others through consensus

The Cross River state chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has elected Alphonsus Ogar Eba as Chairman, 35 other officials through a consensus agreement.

The election, which took place at the UJ Esuene stadium, Calabar, Saturday, had a large turnout of delegates across the 18 local government areas.

Governor Ben Ayade and his Deputy, Prof Ivara Esu also participated.

Speaking shortly before the election kicked off, the chairman of the electoral panel, Alhaji Abubakar Malami, said APC leaders in the state had settled for consensus arrangement for all the positions and that since Article 20 of the party’s Constitution makes provision for it through voice vote, he would have to abide by it.

“Since it is part of our party’s constitution as contained in Article 20, we will allow it because it is legal and constitutional, so we will confirm this by voice affirmation,” he said.

Names of the 36 unopposed candidates were thereafter called and told to file out in a single line, and with a voice vote made, the delegates responded in affirmation and so the candidates were declared elected.

In his acceptance speech, Eba, who is the Director General of the Due Process Agency of the state government, said the new executive committee of the party would focus on the assignment of winning future elections.

“Political evangelism commences immediately and the crystallisation of the governor’s policy of socketing to the centre begins now. Our first assignment will be the bye-election of Ogoja /Yala Federal Constituency.

“We will ensure that APC remains the ruling party even after 2023 and beyond,” Eba, who was also one of the chairmanship candidates in the cancelled 2020 PDP state congress, and who defected with Governor Ayade to APC in May 2021, said.

Governor Ayade, who spoke briefly, said the walls of division which threatened cohesion in the party before the Congress, had been broken and that he would ensure that the state remained an APC state.