Nicholas Kalu in Calabar in this report captures the ongoing battle in Cross River over the Central Senatorial District
CROSS River State is made up of three senatorial districts: The southern, the central and the northern districts. In the history of the politics of the state, at least since the beginning of the present democratic dispensation, the central district of the state has always been noted as the hotbed. Whenever the political season comes around as the recent one that just finished, interest in what happens in this area always seems to be higher than in other parts of the state.
In the just concluded 2019 elections, again most of the attention was on the contest for the Senatorial seat of the Central District. It may be argued that here intrigues played out the most. Maybe this time due to the pedigree of those who sought to represent the district in the red chamber. The two main contenders in this category were the candidates of All Progressives Congress (APC) and that of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Senator Victor Ndoma-Egba and Dr. Sandy Onor respectively. The district is made up six local government areas which are Abi, Yakurr, Obubra, Ikom, Etung and Boki. Onor is from Etung while Ndoma-Egba is from Ikom.
Both have had great political careers and are grassroots politicians and stalwarts in their own rights. Onor, a former local government chairman and former Commissioner in the state, had even earned a name for himself in the political sphere. He is called the ‘Original Caterpillar.’ According to supporters, this name is due to his ability to bulldoze and get his way politically. Ndoma-Egba himself had served in the Senate for three consecutive terms since 2003 and had risen to the position of Senate Leader. Known for his visibility and eloquence in the red chamber, he was seen as the guy who got things done, and expectations seemed to be high in anticipation of his return.
It was like a battle of gladiators to say the least.
The seat they were aiming to get had been declared vacant by the incumbent, Senator John Owan-Enoh of the APC, who had declared his intention to run for the governorship of the state.
It is pertinent to point out that Ndoma-Egba lost out in the senatorial primary elections to Owan-Enoh in 2015, in a manner, which at the time, the former considered controversial. Both of them were in the PDP then. The issues which arose at the time had led to Ndoma-Egba’s withdrawal from political activities for a while and a subsequent withdrawal from the PDP soon after. He often claimed he was ostracized by the party and given that he still had political life in him, had to look somewhere else to live it out. He joined the APC and the rest is history.
There were lots of other elections in the state, but everyone seemed to be talking about this particular one. It may be argued that even the governorship election did not generate as much interest as this one.
The elections eventually held on February 23, 2019 after being shifted from February 16. At the end of the day, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) announced that Onor was winner of the polls. According to the results announced by returning officer, Prof Ubana Eyong, Onor scored 80, 126 votes to beat Ndoma-Egba who got 60, 298.
However, even with the announcement of the results the intrigues seem not to be over yet, especially given allegations of rigging, violence, and the collusion of INEC and security agencies to work for the PDP, that trailed the exercise. It may not yet be Uhuru for the Caterpillar. Who knows?
It appears they may have been some sentiment in wanting Ndoma-Egba back in that he had acquired the ranking in his previous time in the Senate, which affords certain privileges a first timer would not get, and would have been advantageous to clinching the Presidency of the Senate. It was believed that given his legislative prowess and experience in tackling conflict situations, the Presidency may have wanted him to head the Red Chamber thereby making for smooth executive-legislature relation. But this cannot be verified.
What can be verified however is that Ndoma-Egba has already sent his petition to the tribunal in the state. The Election Petition Tribunal in Cross River State has so far received eleven petitions challenging the outcome of the last general elections in the state. The petitions received so far are only for the National Assembly elections held on February 23rd, 2019.
In his petition, Ndoma-Egba said among others: “In the late hours of 22nd February 2019, the eve of the elections, the Resident Electoral Commissioner for Cross River State, Dr. Frankland Briyai announced to the world through the mass media that the All Progressives Congress had no candidates for the elections of the 23rd February, 2019 and 9thMarch, 2019… At the time of the announcement, there was a valid order of the Court of Appeal, Calabar, made on the 20th of February, 2019 that the status quo be maintained. Clearly the statement was premeditated and malafide,” he said.
Notwithstanding the petitions and protests against the REC, Dr. Briyai, he has said consistently that he was impartial in the elections and did not work for any political party.
So, as the battle shifts to the court, stakeholders are only holding their breath.