I remain the governorship candidate, Owan-Enoh insists
A Federal High Court sitting in Calabar, Cross River State yesterday sacked the All Progressives Congress (APC) factional governorship candidate, Senator John Owan Enoh and other candidates of the party currently recognised by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The court also sacked the factional leadership of the party led by Mr. John Ochalla, which is loyal to Owan-Enoh.
But the sacked candidate, through his media spokesman, Dan Amor, last night insisted that the purported court judgment did not invalidate his candidacy as the APC standard bearer for the state in the March 2, 2019 governorship election.
In a two-hour judgment delivered by Justice Simon A Amobeda, the court ordered that “INEC should only receive and accept the names and candidates for the 2019 elections that emerged from the lawful executive led by Godwin Etim John.”
It also ordered that persons parading themselves as the executive members of the APC in Cross River State should forthwith cease and that the lawful executive of APC in the state remains that which is led by John.
Speaking with journalists on the judgment, counsel to the claimants, Ayei Okpa, explained that “the judgment clearly is in support of the rule of law as it also supports the yearning of the common man,” adding that, “once a judgment is delivered in a court of law, everyone affected by that judgment is supposed and ought to comply with the said judgment and that is what this court today, has confirmed.”
However, in a swift reaction, Owan-Enoh said in a statement issued by his media assistant, Dan Amor, the sacked candidate said the purported judgment did not invalidate of his candidacy.
“Senator John Owan Enoh remains the candidate of the party. The government of Cross River is the institution spreading fake news to misinform the public and distract Senator Owan Enoh because of the momentum his campaign trail has created in the state which has sent jitters down the spines of Governor Ben Ayade who has practically nothing to show the electorate for his four years in the saddle. The Governor’s office issued a statement this afternoon to misinform the public as though Owan Enoh and Ben Ayade are contesting the candidacy of the same political party,” the statement explained.
According to the statement, Ayade’s desperation was borne out of the fact that his days in the governor’s office are numbered as his achievements are only found on billboards and posters. S
“John Owan Enoh remains the governorship candidate of APC in Cross River State as the primary through which he emerged was duly conducted by the National Working Committee of the party as stipulated by the party’s constitution and not through state faction.
“Pastor Usani Uguru Usani who lacks the equanimity to accept defeat is the one who should be arrested for flouting series of court orders. If Usani sees himself as a candidate for any elective position, why has he not tendered his resignation from office as Minister of Niger Delta Affairs 30 days to the election as stated in the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria?”
