Sen Owan Enoh challenging outcome of APC governorship primaries not anti party, says stakeholders

 

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By Judex Okoro, Calabar

As Cross River All Progressives Congress ( APC) awaits the Federal High Court judgment on governorship dispute, some stakeholders have stated that it is not anti party for Sen Owan Enoh to challenge the declaration of Sen Bassey Otu as the party candidate.

 Sen John Owan Enoh, one aspirants in the May 26, 2022 Cross River State governorship primaries, had instituted a case in  a Federal High Court, Calabar in Suit No.FHC/CA/061/2022 between him and APC, INEC and Sen Bassey Edet Otu challenging the process that threw up Bassey Edet Otu as the governroship candidate. Bassey Otu polled 887 votes to defeat Sen Owan Enoh who scored  84 votes.

Counsel to Sen. John Owan Enoh, Awa Kalu (SAN), and counsel to the third defendant,  Mike Ozhekome (SAN), had argued in favour of their clients. 

 

After listening to both parties, Justice Ijeoma Ojukwu, who presided on the matter, ruled On Septmeber 8, 2022, saying “counsels to go back, and return on October 24th, 2022 for judgement.”

 

Speaking to some newsmen in Calabar while reacting to  insinuations in some quarters that Sen Enoh’s approaching the Court to sack Sen Otu amounts to anti party activity, some of stakehokders described such statement as undemocratic, saying approaching competent court of law to seek redress  after every election  shows that the processes were flawed and should be questioned to avoid repeat of such a process.

 

The stakeholders, who are mostly members of the legacy group of APC,  spoke in unison that never in the history of APC has primaries’ elections been so brazenly skewed and manipulated to favour some particular annointed  candidates.  

One of legacy members, Ntufam Austin Agbor, 43, said: “Owan Eno is a true democrat and thatis why he went to court to ask for certain calrifications on the processes ised in conducring the governorship primaries in the state. For him to do that, is an indication that he wants peace and to ensure such doesn’t happen in near future.

 

“He has ran elections severally and knows what is good for him and the party. Seeking Court interpretations in the event of any suspected breach is a right step in the right direction rather than him defecting because I can tell you  that PDP is wooing him and his supprters. We cannot afford to lose Owan now. The party leadership had better seek a way out than castigating him for exhuasting all avaialable avenues to realise his ambition.”

 

Also reacting, a stakeholder from the northern senatorial district,  Ignatiius Akpanke, berated those casting aspersions on Sen Enoh for fighting glaring injustice during the party primaries.

Akpanke, 54, said: “APC primaries right from the sales of forms, thw secreening exercises and the elelction itself were insication that the party was not ready for a transparent election as preached by the leadership. 

“Therefore, if people as Owan Eno felt disatisfied and went to Court, members should be glad that some one stood up against impunity and system manipulation. I dont see it as anti party in any way, but a fight  for the right thing so that the party doesn’t lose out to PDP at the end. We  call on APC leadership to woo all aggrieved members ahead of 2023.”