There are serious indications that all is not well with the ruling All Progressives Congress in Cross River State as there’s a grave revelation that top party men are said to be at the verge of leaving the party. The Daily News learnt.

A source close to the story has it that the stakeholders are not happy with the choice of zoning the party’s state chairmanship position to Yala Local Government Area as it became obvious that the governor was bent on making his hatchet man, Alphonsus Eba a Party State Chairman at all cost. The zoning of the Chairmanship slot to Yala is against the popular opinion of Ogoja.

It was revealed that stakeholders had unanimously agreed that the office be zoned to Ogoja for obvious reasons of power and political balance since Yala who shares the same Federal Constituency with Ogoja has more government presence than Ogoja in terms of human capacity (appointment and elective offices). “House of Representatives may likely go to Yala, Chairman of SUBEB is also from Yala, the state Auditor General and even the

VC of  UNICROSS are all from Yala.” Our source informed.

“The person who has been prepared for that office since 2020, in fact it was one of the conditions for his defection, he is the current Senior Special Adviser, Political Affairs, Chief Peter Ojie. He has been the longest serving party official in Nigeria, he has been Deputy Chairman of PDP in Cross River State for 12 years and acting Chairman at a point before he was finally made a Commissioner by Sen. Liyel Imoke.

He has experience, very organized, composed, he was able to mange the recent ward and chapter congresses with minimal crisis.

Everything was set to ensure he is made the party Chairman. All the elite in the likes of Eyo Etim Nyong, Alex Egbona, Victor Ndoma-Egba, Ita-Giwa, Maurice Effiwat said they are all comfortable with him due to his capacity.” The source continued

But to the surprise and dismay of everybody the governor turned his back on stakeholders to chat a new course alien to stakeholders.

This development has brought in a serious crack in the APC as party bigwigs in the likes of Owan Enoh, Alex Egbona, Usani Usani, Eyo Etim Nyong, Victor Ndoma-Egba, Ita-Giwa, Maurice Effiwat etc are at the verge of leaving the party. An insider gist has it that they have given the governor an ultimatum of 5 days to reverse his decision or they abandon the party for him.

According to the story, “…Stakeholders had agreed to give the governor the freehand to nominate the party’s Chairman while the remaining state officers will be shared amongst stakeholders, but they never in their wildest dream believed Ayade will think of bringing in Alphonsus Eba, not after all that happened in PDP with the same Eba….

…Remember it was because of this same Eba that Ayade left PDP, he scattered everything for Ayade and now that APC wants to help stabilise him, Okadigbo don go touch that stone again and over night, Ayade changed his mind towards his direction.

…they are some things we can’t report, but truth is that many people have left the party, as I speak to you now Ogoja is empty. Alex is seriously being begged to stay in the party, imagine the governor handing over the party’s structure in Abi to Betta Edu as against Alex Egbona. Who is Betta compared to Alex? If John Gaul couldn’t win Alex is it Betta that will win him? This man is putting us all in a mess.” The source concluded.

In a recent development, the leadership of the party in the state had issued a statement disassociating itself from the micro zoning of offices to LGA. According to the statement signed by the acting Publicity Secretary, Pastor Bassey Ita, the state chairman, Matthew Mbu Jr didn’t authorize the micro zoning as such stakeholders should remain calm and disregard the said proposed zoning.

The letter reads in part: “In the light of the development,the State Caretaker Committee wishes to dissociate from the exercise.

“The report of the Zoning Committee recently submitted to the party is still being reviewed by the leadership and will soon come up with a ratified arrangement on the exercise.

“The leadership has a well intended plan to sustain the existing stable climate within the party by involving all interests in the party administration and will therefore not compromise this position.

“Stakeholders are to therefore disregard whatever is done in the guise of zoning to local government chapters which is without due authorization by the leadership.”