Judex Okoro, Calabar
A stalwart of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and former governor of Cross River, Mr James Ebri, has blamed the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, for being responsible for the party’s poor outing in the 2019 general elections in the state.
Ebri, who stated this in Calabar on Sunday while fielding questions from newsmen on the performance of the party, accused the electoral umpire of “jumping into the arena and antagonising the opponents.”
He said delisting APC candidates from the poll in less than 12 hours to the opening of poll on February 23 by INEC in the name of court order was a total aberration and the highest level of partisanship, adding that in the process party agents were denied accreditation on the basis of the party no having any candidate.
He insisted that the teeming supporters of the APC and the entire electorate in Cross River State demand a public apology from INEC for their meddlesomeness during the elections in the state.
He wondered why there are no inconclusive elections in Cross River even when there were many instances of alleged electoral malpractices that would have warranted a re-run but the commission rather went ahead and declared results across all the state.
According to him, “elections were not conducted in Etung, Boki, and parts of Obubra. The commission did not provide a level playing field in Cross River State. The National Chairman of INEC owes Cross River State an apology over the letter that was written by the National Secretary of INEC and relied upon by the REC to delist APC candidates.”
Ebri acknowledged that going to “the tribunal may be the option, adding that since the elections in the state were allegedly compromised, the only option now is to cancel the entire exercise in the state.”