The newly appointed Commissioner for Information and Orientation in Cross River State, Pastor Ekpenyong Cobham, has given reasons for the removal of former chairman of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in the state, Mr Alphonsus Ogar Eba.

Cobham spoke during his maiden interaction with journalists in Calabar, where he said Eba’s removal followed allegations of financial impropriety, maladministration and failure to meet some obligations to members of the party’s State Working Committee.

Eba, who served as APC chairman during the administration of former Governor Ben Ayade and the first two years of the administration of Governor Bassey Otu, has since joined the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), where he is the running mate to the party’s governorship candidate.

The former APC chairman had recently criticised the Otu administration, alleging, among other things, that government contracts were being awarded to associates and family members and that funds were being paid to groups to prevent violence and other vices.

Responding to the allegations, Cobham questioned Eba’s credibility to make such accusations, citing allegations previously levelled against him during his time as Director-General of the state’s Due Process Office.

According to the commissioner, Eba allegedly failed to adhere to the principles guiding the office and was involved in transactions concerning public assets that he said raised questions about due process.

Cobham challenged critics of the administration to engage the government on its policies and performance, saying they should “call for a debate, try and raise the bar, educate themselves to the strata we are operating under.”

He also said Eba, as a lawyer, had the option of seeking legal redress if he believed his removal from office was unjustified.

“If he thinks he was pushed out of office wrongly, he is a lawyer. He should have gone to court,” Cobham said.

On Eba’s movement from the APC to the PDP and his emergence as a deputy governorship candidate, Cobham said the former APC chairman appeared to be celebrating his political fortunes prematurely, insisting that the outcome of the election would ultimately determine the strength of the claim.

The Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC, has unveiled its Abia State governorship candidate, Etugo Ogah, and his running mate, Dozie Alaribe, to party members.

Presenting flags to the candidates in Umuahia on Wednesday, the Chairman of the NDC in Abia, Akoh Atuloma, said the party would utilize the power of the people to win the Abia State governorship poll, as it happened in Osun State.

The NDC chairman explained that the unveiling of Ogah and other candidates is to ensure that no impersonator deceives the members of the party and the Abia electorate.

Akoh Atuloma encouraged Abia voters to emulate the people of Osun State, who he said protected their votes in the August 15 governorship poll in the state. He urged them to stand firm against vote buyers in the 2027 election.

“You see what happened in Osun State, where some people were given money to influence their votes but they still voted for their preferred choice and protected their votes. So we shall also remain firm in Abia State and other parts of Nigeria during all elections in 2027,” Abia NDC Chairman, Akoh Atuloma, said.

In his acceptance speech, the governorship candidate of NDC in Abia, Etugo Ogah, promised to reconcile all aggrieved aspirants, to achieve victory.

Ogah further declared that the Obi-Kwankwaso tsunami would sweep NDC to victory in Abia in 2027.

By Luminous Jannamike

ABUJA – National Chairman of the African Democratic Congress, ADC, Senator David Mark, has warned political actors against turning elections into a do-or-die contest, saying the credibility of the 2027 general elections must be non-negotiable.

Speaking on Wednesday in Abuja while receiving a delegation from the International Republican Institute, IRI, on a pre-election assessment mission, Mark said Nigerians must be allowed to choose their leaders freely, without violence, intimidation, manipulation or the abuse of state institutions.

The warning came against the backdrop of the violence recorded during the recently concluded Osun State governorship election, where no fewer than 30 people were reportedly killed, with Mark saying such incidents had no place in a democratic contest.

“Elections should not be treated as war or a do-or-die affair. They should be a democratic process through which citizens freely choose their leaders and advance their aspirations for development and a better quality of life,” Mark said.

According to him, the ADC was particularly concerned about the abuse of the electoral process by governments in power and, increasingly, by non-state actors, stressing that the party wanted to contest elections in an environment where every vote counted and legitimate mandates were respected.

“For us in the ADC, the credibility of the 2027 elections must be non-negotiable. We expect the electoral process to be transparent, inclusive, peaceful and free from manipulation, intimidation and the abuse of state institutions,” he said.

Mark welcomed IRI’s engagement with political parties, civil society organisations and other stakeholders, saying the ADC was prepared to openly share its experiences and concerns as preparations for the 2027 polls gather pace.

Responding, Jenai Cox, African Regional Director of IRI, said the institute was in Nigeria to assess preparations for the 2027 general elections and hear directly from stakeholders about the challenges ahead.

“IRI is here conducting a pre-election assessment mission. Our objective of this mission is to assess the preparations of the 2027 general election that will take place,” she said.

Cox disclosed that members of the mission had recently been in Osun to observe the off-cycle governorship election, while a smaller delegation also visited Ekiti.

She said IRI had been observing elections in Nigeria since the return to democratic rule in 1999, jointly with the National Democratic Institute, NDI, and would conclude its current assessment at the end of the week.

According to her, the mission would subsequently make recommendations based on its observations from the off-cycle elections and consultations with stakeholders in Abuja.

“Our pre-election assessment mission will end at the end of this week, where we will be making some recommendations forward on items we have seen from both off-cycle elections as well as our meetings here with a variety of stakeholders here in Abuja,” Cox said.

Mark said independent assessments by organisations such as IRI could help identify weaknesses in the electoral system ahead of 2027 and strengthen public confidence in the process.

“We believe that an independent and credible assessment by organisations such as IRI can make a significant contribution to identifying the challenges ahead and strengthening confidence in Nigeria’s electoral process,” he said.

The IRI delegation was led by its President, Dan Twining, and included former US Assistant Secretary for African Affairs under the Bush administration, Jendayi Frazier; Cox; Sentell Barnes, West Africa Regional Programme Director; Kiely Ford, Programme Officer for Africa; Hugues Mersac, Programme Manager for Africa; Senior Governance Adviser, Sunday Alao; Long-Term Election Analysts, Austin Akers and Leandre Banon; and Baiko Dass and Etty Peter of IRI Nigeria.

The NDI was represented by Sophia Moestrup, Deputy Director, West and Central Africa, and Francis Madugu, Country Director for Nigeria.