- Chief Okoi Obono-Obla accuses APC of rigging the 2023 elections to favor defectors, calling for midterm elections in Cross River
- APC State Chairman dismisses Obono-Obla’s allegations as divisive, suggesting they stem from his frustration over failed appointment efforts
Chief Okoi Obono-Obla, a former aide to ex-President Muhammadu Buhari, accused the All Progressives Congress (APC) of rigging the 2023 national and state assembly elections to favour defectors from other political parties.
In a statement, Obono-Obla called for midterm elections to address leadership issues within the APC in Cross River State. He claimed that only the governorship election was conducted fairly, while tickets for other elective positions were manipulated and handed to defectors.
Obono-Obla urged the party to hold midterm congresses at state, local government, and ward levels to resolve internal divisions caused by the 2021 defections from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). He argued that the APC’s leadership has become exclusive and undemocratic, dominated by defectors from the PDP.
However, the APC State Chairman, Barrister Alphonsus Ogar Eba, dismissed these allegations, accusing Obono-Obla of attempting to cause division within the party. Eba suggested that Obono-Obla’s frustrations stemmed from his unsuccessful efforts to secure federal and state appointments.