A former Special Adviser on New Media to the Governor of Cross River State, Justin Obongha, has weighed in on the controversy surrounding the APC Central Senatorial ticket, insisting that Senator Eteng Jonas Williams has always been the party's legitimate candidate.
Obongha explained that ahead of the All Progressives Congress (APC) senatorial primary election held on May 18, 2026, the party published a list of disqualified aspirants on its official platforms. According to him, although some aspirants appealed their disqualification, the final list released by the party still retained the names of Hon. Oden Ewa and Rt. Hon. Daniel Asuquo among those disqualified.
He noted that while Daniel Asuquo accepted the outcome and refrained from participating in the Southern Senatorial District primary election that eventually produced Senator Asuquo Ekpenyong Jnr. as the party's candidate, Hon. Oden Ewa continued to present himself as an aspirant despite his disqualification remaining in force.
Obongha argued that under APC guidelines, a disqualified aspirant cannot be allocated votes during a primary election, stressing that any votes purportedly cast for such a person are legally invalid and cannot be recognized by the party.
According to him, the APC National Working Committee (NWC) never recognized Oden Ewa as an eligible aspirant for the Cross River Central Senatorial District primary. He therefore maintained that claims by supporters of the former commissioner that his name was unjustly substituted are unfounded.
The former aide further stated that the primary election conducted across the 66 wards in the six local government areas of the Central Senatorial District featured only two eligible aspirants — Senator Eteng Jonas Williams and Barrister Mary Ekpere.
He insisted that any votes allegedly allocated to Oden Ewa during the exercise could not be regarded as valid because he had failed both the screening and appeal stages of the party's nomination process.
Obongha acknowledged that Oden Ewa made efforts to overturn the disqualification but maintained that the reasons cited by the party were substantial and could not be successfully challenged.
He concluded by reaffirming that Senator Eteng Williams has remained the APC's candidate for the Cross River Central Senatorial District from the onset of the nomination process, dismissing ongoing disputes over the ticket as unnecessary.
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