At Last, Oden Ewa, Bassey Eko, Rickett, Ifere Emerge Final Candidates for Cross River Central Senatorial District

By Missang AKPET

The long-drawn contest for the Cross River Central Senatorial District ticket in the All Progressive Congress (APC) has finally been settled, with the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, publishing the list of final candidates ahead of the next election.

After months of internal wrangling within the All Progressives Congress, APC, INEC has listed Oden Ewa as the APC senatorial candidate for the Central District. This brings to an end the protracted battle between Hon. Ewa and the incumbent senator, Eteng Williams which had been laced with various speculations for months.

In a related development, Hon. Bassey Eko Ewa, former member of the House of Representatives representing Abi/Yakurr Federal Constituency, was also published as the New Democratic Congress, (NDC) candidate for the same senatorial seat while Chief Akin Ricketts, former Chairman of the Board of the Nigerian Ports Authority, NPA, and John Ifere will be flying the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and People's Democratic Party (PDP) flag respectively for the senatorial seat.

The publication by INEC is expected to bring clarity and finality to party preparations in the district, which covers Abi, Yakurr, Obubra, Etung, Ikom and Boki Local Government Areas of the state.

Political observers and commentators say the contest will now shift to grassroots mobilisation as the three major candidates Oden Ewa of APC, Bassey Ewa of NDC, and Akin Ricketts of ADC begin to sell their manifestos to the electorates.

 THE BEAGLE NEWS