Drama in Bekwarra as Ex-Council Chairman Allegedly Disrupts APC Primary, Escapes Mob Attack
By Emmanuel Agba
Tension reportedly erupted in Bekwarra Local Government Area of Cross River State on Saturday as former council chairman, Mrs. Theresa Ushie, allegedly escaped mob attack following an attempt to disrupt the All Progressives Congress (APC) primary election for the Bekwarra/Obudu/Obanliku Federal Constituency.
Eyewitnesses claimed that the former chairman arrived at the venue of the primary election and allegedly attempted to interfere with the process by declaring herself winner, a development that immediately sparked outrage among party members and youths present at the venue.
According to accounts gathered by THE BEAGLE NEWS, the situation quickly degenerated into confusion as aggrieved youths and party faithful resisted what they described as an attempt to hijack an otherwise peaceful democratic exercise.
Sources at the venue disclosed that the timely intervention of party leaders and critical stakeholders prevented the situation from escalating into physical violence.
One of the eyewitnesses alleged that many youths in Bekwarra viewed the incident as provocative, particularly against the backdrop of lingering dissatisfaction over the former chairman’s tenure in office.
“It took the timely intervention of stakeholders to prevent the situation from degenerating into total physical harm. The people are angry and no longer willing to tolerate actions capable of bringing disrepute to the party and undermining democratic processes,” the source said.
Some stakeholders who reacted to the incident accused the former chairman of failing to respect party structures and constituted authorities within the APC.
A stakeholder, Chief Odang Odang, alleged that Mrs. Ushie’s political challenges stemmed from what he described as an inability to work harmoniously with party elders and stakeholders.
“The problem with the former chairman is her inability to humble herself or take counsel from the same structure that brought her to power,” he stated.
Odang further criticised her style of administration while in office, alleging that governance under her leadership focused more on media visibility than grassroots development and infrastructure delivery.
“You cannot govern people through social media optics alone. The people of Bekwarra made their position clear long ago, and recent events at the primaries have only deepened existing concerns,” he added.
Another stakeholder, Mr. Godwin Akwaji, described the alleged disruption of the primary election as unfortunate, warning that party leaders and elders within the constituency would not tolerate actions capable of tarnishing the image of the APC.
“It is unfortunate that she could summon the courage to disrupt our primary election. She has repeatedly been advised against dragging the name of the party into unnecessary controversy. It is time to respect constituted authorities and party leadership,” Akwaji said.
As of the time of filing this report, Mrs. Theresa Ushie had yet to publicly respond to the allegations surrounding the incident.
