Owan-Enoh, Usani lay claim to guber ticket in Cross River

With the governorship elections slated for Saturday in Cross River State, the Senator representing the central district of the state, John Owan-Enoh, and Niger Delta Affairs Minister, Usani Usani, still insist they are the governorship candidates of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

However, Owan-Enoh’s name had earlier been published by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), as the governorship candidate of the party.

Addressing reporters in Calabar on Thursday, Owan-Enoh, insisted he remains the only candidate of the party and anything else that is happening are just distractions.

He said he is the only person that before the primary elections toured the whole state and met with the people.

The lawmaker called on the public to troop out on Saturday and vote for the APC in the general elections.

He the election was not about any individual or group but about the soul of the state, which he said is dying under the present administration.

Owan-Enoh debunked reports that he was responsible was encouraging violence and also responsible for stoking the ember of violence.

He accused the present People’s Democratic Party (PDP) led government of setting the tone for violence by allegedly appointing cultists into government.

But also addressing reporters, the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Usani Usani, also claimed he is the candidate of the party in the state.

Usani said it was his delight to consolidate his resolve to contest for the seat of the governor of the state.

“I use this medium to express my determination toward this bid with honesty of purpose solely to rework the Cross River State moral, social, economic and collective value fabric whose outcome shall redefine our common identity of honesty and honour. I promise a safe, secure, inclusive and equal opportunity environment. I hereby request you to support this intention, our common destiny for a new face for Cross River State,” Usani said.

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Owan-Enoh had emerged as the governorship candidate of the party last year in the direct primary elections conducted by the National Working Committee of the party led by Ali Magaji.

But in a parallel congress conducted in the state by the Chairman of the gubernatorial election Committee, Emmanuel Annom, Usani had emerged as winner.

This had led to a situation where there were two executive committees of the party in the state. Owan-Enoh belonged to the faction led by the late Dr Mathew Achigbe, now with Sir John Ochala in acting capacity. Usani on the other hand belonged to the camp led by Mr Godwin Etim John.

Since then both of them had continued to lay claim to the ticket and this had to a series of litigations.

A Federal High Court Judgment delivered by Justice Simon A Amobeda in Calabar on February 11 in a case filed by Etim John and two others challenging the legitimacy of the current State Executive Committee of the APC in Cross River State, led by the late Sir Mathew Achigbe who is now being represented in acting capacity by Sir John Ochala, had declared that the Etim John faction be taken as the legitimate state executive council of the party, hence INEC should only take names of candidates that come from this faction.

On the eve of the Presidential and National Assembly elections, INEC had made an announcement, delisting Owan-Enoh and other candidates of the party.

Resident Electoral Commissioner in the state, Dr Frankland Briyai, had announced that all candidates submitted by All Progressives Congress in the state are to be removed.

He said this was pursuant to an order of the High Court with suit number FHC/CA/CS/731/2018 between Godwin Etim John vs the APC and others.

He said the logo and names of the APC would be retained pending the submission of the list of candidates by the Godwin Etim John led state executive by the national working committee in compliance with the order.

However, last week, the Court of Appeal had sitting in Calabar on Wednesday granted a Stay of Execution Order, which reaffirmed Senator John Owan-Enoh and other candidates names’ submitted to INEC as candidates for the election.

The panel of three Judges headed by Justice A. M Uwade directed that parties in the matter maintain Status Quo Ante pending determination of the substantive case.

This latest order had been subjected to different interpretations by the two camps.

While the Owan-Enoh faction claimed that Stay of Execution order and maintaining Status Quo simply reverses all that INEC may have done “in error or compromise of any sort”, the Usani camp interpreted it to mean that that things should return as they were before the appeal was brought to the court.

Both camps have accused each other of working for the PDP in the state.