Ibekimi Oriamaja Reports
Cross River State Governor, Prof. Ben Ayade, has been accused of imposing a Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) member, Peter Odey Agbe, as the running mate to the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate, Mr. Otu Bassey.
This was stated in a petition addressed to the APC National Chairman, Senator Abdullahi Adamu, by the Cross River State Council For Good Governance (CRSCGG), who stated that Odey “was a member of the main opposition just before he was nominated as the deputy governorship candidate.”
The petition, signed by CRSCGG Chairman Mr. James Udoh and Secretary Emmanuel Akpan, asked the APC national chairman to remove Odey’s name from the Cross River APC register.
According to a court affidavit sworn in front of the Federal High Court in Abuja by Ekanem Asoquo, “Peter Odey Agbe is a registered member of the PDP and was previously sponsored by the PDP to contest the state House of Assembly election in 2023.”
As a result, the group petitioned the APC national chairman, claiming that the PDP had issued Udoh and Akpan certificates of return after they had won the election to represent his state constituency in the state.
According to the petition, the group “has checked the membership register of the APC in his ward and as of the time of their petition, Otu and Odey are still PDP members.”
Odey’s name, according to the petition, “is not found in the APC register.” Nonetheless, he was imposed as the governorship candidate’s running mate.
“They know for a fact that even when the APC caretaker committee extended registration to all intending members, Odey Agbe never registered or revalidated his membership in the APC, retaining his membership in the PDP.”
“That this is a ploy by the governor to cause the APC to lose the upcoming gubernatorial election and ensure that he wins his senatorial election in the state at the next National Assembly election,” the petition alleged.
To challenge Odey’s nomination as the deputy governorship candidate, the petition cited sections 29 (1) and 84 of the Electoral Act, as well as articles 2, 7(iv), (viii)(ix)(xii) and (xiii), 9 and 31 of the APC Constitution.
According to the petition, the APC governorship candidate “is powerless to protest due to the fear of Ayade’s support.”
The petition requested that the APC national chairman “address this anomaly before the August 8 deadline for the substitution of all candidates in the governorship election throughout the country.”
“It’s true that you can’t put something on nothing and expect it to hold.” Peter Odey is not an APC member in good standing. He denied being a defendant in FHC/ABJ/CS/976/2021.”
“By accepting to deputize Otu, he has demonstrated bad faith in addition to his own averments in the preceding suit.” After denying membership in a political party, he is now shamelessly parading himself as one. Odey pulled off a political coup.
“You can’t approve and condemn at the same time.” You can’t blow both hot and cold. It is on record and there is evidence that Odey, a governor’s stooge, defected with the governor to APC and when sued by the PDP, he swore on oath that he is still a member of the PDP.”
