INEC officials at the Ogoja bye elections
Gov. Ayade’s Political Adviser loses polling unit after two decades’ grip, as PDP clear to win Ngor Okpala
[From ANIEKAN ANIEKAN, Calabar]
As the results of the Saturday bye-elections in Cross River begin to trickle in, major political developments are unfolding in the state.
The latest is in Mbumbe west ward, Odajie-Mbube, Ogoja LGA where State Governor, Ben Ayade’s Political Adviser, Chief Peter Ojeh lost his polling unit.
The unit has been under the grip of the leader right from 1999 during the reign of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state.
However with the governor’s defection alongside Chief Ojeh, the Political Adviser lost the unit with the ruling APC while the PDP retained the unit.
Early results shows that at the polling Unit located at Christ the King Primary School Mbube West II, Ward II ,PU007 ,PDP garnered 102 votes to defeat APC that scored 63 votes.
Also in Ogoja, the leader of the State House of Assembly Peter Odey also lost his polling unit to the PDP.
Speaking on the ongoing elections, Senator representing Cross River North in the national assembly Jarigbe Agom Jarigbe said politicians have to work hard to earn the votes of the electorate.
In his words, “Politicians will have to work very hard to earn what they get from the electorate.
“It is not an issue of coming to face the electorates when you have not delivered on the mandate given to you”.
A businessman and CEO Obi Achara Nigeria Limited, Chief Obi James Achara and a staunch supporter of Senator Jarigbe Agom Jarigbe said it was high time young people took charge.
As at press time, results are being collated by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), and an announcement is expected.
Meanwhile, at the Ngor Okpala bye election for the state constituency, INEC may have disqualified the All Progressives Congress (APC) from the bye-election after the ruling party’s fielded two candidates for the polls.
A statement by the Commission in Owerri on Saturday noted that the APC has breached extant electoral law by fielding two candidates, namely Blyden Amajirionwu and Lawrence Achinihu.
“The disqualification of the APC from today’s bye-election in Ngor followed a painstaking review of the circumstances surrounding the nomination of Blyden Amajirionwu and Lawrence Achinihu, both of whom have been submitted to the Commission as candidates of the same party for the same bye-election,” INEC said.
The decision leaves the coast open for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to retake the seat which it previously occupied at the Imo State House of Assembly before it was declared vacant by the Speaker.
