By Nsan Ndoma-Neji, Calabar
The ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, in Cross River State has rejected result of February 25, 2023 senatorial election in the Cross River North senatorial district, where the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, candidate, Senator Jarigbe Agom Jarigve, was declared winner by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC.
The candidate of the APC for the election is the incumbent governor of the state, Prof. Ben Ayade.
The APC claimed that the senatorial election was marred with serious irregularities and vowed to retrieve the governor’s mandate, stolen by the PDP candidate through the backdoor.
The Cross River State chairman of the APC, Barr. Alphonsus Ogar, made this known on Thursday, in Calabar while answering questions from journalists in a media parley held at APC secretariat, Murtala Mohammed Highway, Calabar.
He said that the loss of February 25 National Assembly elections to the opposition PDP was due to the intimidation by military personnel, who in connivance with corrupt political opponents robbed the APC of victory.
Ogar said, “The neferous behavior of some Generals who connieved with our opposition to intimidate, and harrass us.
“They deployed tanks through the aide of some of their sons, particularly in Ugaga community and got us intimidated.
“Those who deployed soldiers should be tried and courtmarshalled. You cannot deploy soldiers without knowledge of the state governor.
“If you look at section 68, where soldiers can be deployed to protect INEC materials, it does not say that they should harass or intimidate voters.”
Vowing to challenge Jarigbe’s victory, Ogar further said, “That declaration is a phyrric victory that will evaporate into the thin air.
“One finger cannot thumbprint all ballot papers. Maybe forensic experts would have to wade into the matter.
“We reject that in totality. We enjoined our supporters not to be involved in violence.”
But, in a swift reaction to the claim, the state Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Mr. Mike Ojisi, told members of the public to disregard the allegations, claiming that the PDP defeated the APC candidate because the party was fully on ground.
Ojisi stressed that the APC failed the people of the North with nothing on ground to show.
He said that the PDP candidate Senator Jarigbe has followership with a large support base from the constituency, boasting that the PDP candidate is loved by majority of the voters in the constituency, alleging that the APC was just crying wolf where there is none.
