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By Akpan David, Calabar
A former special assistant to President Muhammadu Buhari on prosecution, Chief Okoi Obono-Obla, has cautioned the leadership of the ruling APC in Cross River State to desist from ‘ill-advised quest’ to impose people who are purportedly not members of the APC on genuine members.
In a statement, he said foresees danger lurking around, and could spell defeat for the party during next year’s general election.
It would be recalled that some members of the party have filed matters at the federal high court Calabar that the Speaker of the state House of Assembly, Jonas Eteng Williams who is aspiring to represent Yakurr/Abi Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives and a handful others who claimed to have defected to APC were not actually members of the party in deed.
Obono-Obla said “The desperation or attempt by the leadership of the APC in the State to impose favoured or anointed aspirants on the Party has boomeranged and is capable of resulting in a situation of helplessness and hopelessness.
“There is danger lurking around, now that some aggrieved members of the party have taken the gauntlets and gone to court to challenge the attempt to give autonomic tickets to some members of the House of Assembly and two members of the House of Representatives; to the exclusion of popular and genuine aspirants.”
Obono-Obla who himself is a Senatorial aspirant, called for the administration of justice to all aspirants and other stakeholders without ill-will or favour, stressing that it is what will save the party from self-immolation.
According to him, the membership of the assemblymen and members of the House of Representatives whose memberships in the party were not clearly authenticated have become entangled in a legal labyrinth.
He averred that, “The truth of the matter is that these people are not members of the APC and that they had admitted this much in a counter-affidavit they had filed in Court in response to the suit filed against them by PDP which questioned their right to remain as members of the Houses of Assembly and Representatives.
He advised the leadership of APC not to constrain the democratic space in favour of questionable aspirants exclusion of genuine members of the APC.
Members of the party that reportedly sued the Speaker in Suit No. FHC/CA/CS/89/2022 include Ekanem Bassey Asuquo; Etim Mkpet Okon, Effiong Asuquo Nyong, and Eyo Archibong Bassey. They are seeking (among other reliefs ), a declaration defendants cannot rightly in law be considered members of the APC, should aspire on the platform of APC or be nominated for any offices.
