Ahead of the October 31st Cross River North Senatorial By-election, 5 of the aspirants in the All Progressive Congress (APC) Thursday resolved to throw their weight behind the party’s candidate, Barr. Joe Agi.
This is as they also promised that despite the issues that characterised the primary, they had to cue into the reconciliatory mode of the current Caretaker Committee even as they called on states with by-election crisis to emulate the Cross River example.
Speaking on behalf of the 4 aspirants at the national secretariat of the APC, Mr. Harry Thomas Odey in company of the State party chairman, Sen Matthew Mbu,, Minister of State for Power, Jedi Agba said the move was to ensure that the party wins the seat with ease.
“We are five aspirants for the primaries, three of us are here, the other two are unavoidably absent. What is happening today is something all five of us has sat down and discussed that we are going to do the primaries and that whoever won we are going to support him. With me here is Fidel Ogoro – aspirant and Dr. Ariba who is representing the Barr. SAN who is the party’s flag bearer for the bye-election coming up on the 31st of October.
“Suffice it to say that there were operationally challenges in the field that happen in most circumstances where humans are supposed to interface with one another but our party, the All Progressives Congress did set up an appeal panel to listen to all contestants. We all have issues but at the end of the day the party hierarchy review the appeal panel report and decided in favour of Barr. Joe Agi, SAN as the flag bearer. Unfortunately he is indisposed so he is not here today. We are now supporting him to win the seat for the APC so that we will be able to plant the flag of APC in South South region. This is the bigger picture for us. We were five contestants imminently qualified there was going to be one winner and we all agree that we are going to support this winner.
“We are also using this opportunity to appeal to other States that are having issues, once they have utilize the party’s machinery for reviewing appeals they need to be able to look forward to stop the intra party and begin to prepare for the interparty contest and if we do that our party can only become stronger.”
