APC to challenge its Cross River North defeat in court

The All Progressive Congress (APC) said it plans to challenge the defeat in the Cross River North Senatorial and House of Representatives elections.

Alphonsus Eba, the state APC chairman said this while addressing a news conference in Calabar.

Mr. Eba who alleged that the election was marred by violence, said the victory of the PDP was pyrrhic and will evaporate into thin air when the APC takes up legitimate matters.

“We know what happened in the Northern and Central Districts of the country, but I am waiting for a lot of reports. As a lawyer, I will look at all the evidence and see what needs to be brought to court.

“This is why I did not mention in detail the Local Government Areas where electoral violations and violence against APC voters and officials were committed.

“The idea is that electoral violence must be prevented, it will not be allowed by our own party members and if we find our members want it, we will hand it over to the security agencies,” he said.

While thanking the voters for their support in the election, he called on all leaders of the party to return to their communities and continue their work to ensure that the APC wins the March 11 governorship election.

He said APC has found its roots in Cross River by winning two senate seats out of three, and five House of Representatives seats out of eight with high expectations to win the upcoming governorship election.

Also, a former aide to President Muhammadu Buhari, Mr. Obono-Obla called on the president to investigate allegations of using security agencies to scuttle elections in the North and Central Senatorial Districts of the country.

“If soldiers are to be deployed in a state, the governor should know, but from what we have seen the governor does not know and is against the conduct of elections,” he said.

Jarigbe Jarigbe of PDP defeated Governor Ben Ayade of APC in the senatorial election while Peter Akpanke and Godwin Ofiono of PDP won the Obudu/Obanliku/Bekwara and Ogoja/Yala Federal Constituency elections.

(IN)