Who wears Cross River ministerial crown? …as Edu, Owan, Ndoma -Egba, Abang, Obun, Duke jostle for seat

By Dominic OKOH and Mark IDRAH

ross River political actors are currently entangled in the dugout scheming to outwit one another in the tussle to decide who picks the coveted ministerial slot constitutionally reserved for the state under the Tinubu presidency.

Top of the list of those jostling for the ministerial seat includes Dr. Beta Edu, Sen. Victor Ndoma-Egba, Amb. Soni Abang, Prof. Ben Ayade, Mr. Donald Duke, Senator John Owan Enoh and Cletus Obun.

Any moment from now, President Bola Tinubu is expected to submit his list of ministerial nominees to the National Assembly for mandatory parliamentary screening and confirmation. Constitutionally, the President is expected to pick at least one person from each of the 36 states of the federation and one for FCT. Except the Presidency has a soft spot or an interest in a state, he can nominate two persons.

Already, Governor Otu has submitted his preferred options from the state including those shortlisted for federal boards, commission and agencies. Those said to have made Otu's list include Sen. Victor Ndoma-Egba, Soni Abang and Edu but allegedly omitting Sen. Owan Eno and Cletus Obun, who are legacy members of All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state. 

Sources close to Government House revealed that Otu is said to be rooting for Abang and Ndoma-Egba. Abang was the Director General of his campaign organisation and a trusted ally who played a pivotal role in ensuring that APC triumphed in Boki during the last elections. Ndoma -Egba is also credited for his painstaking sacrifices culminating in the victory of Governor Otu especially at the party level which ensured Otu picked the APC governorship ticket.

Apart from banking on his rich political resume, the former Senate Leader, Senator Ndoma-Egba is also exploring his contacts around the country in addition to mobilising his former colleagues in National Assembly to scale every hurdle to picking the nod.

Edu, the APC National Women Leader, is widely considered a close ally of Otu and has the Governor's ears too. She is not only banking on her contributions to the party and glaring roles in galvanising women for Otu during electioneering, she is said to get the ears of the First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, who has purportedly adopted Beta as her step-daughter. 

The Beagle News gathered that some party heavy weights at the national level and other trusted other powerful women cliques are up in arms lobbying for Beta Edu who has built solid bridges across the country, apart from attracting national prominence in most national party activities since arriving at the national political stage. As at the time of filling this report, Beta seems to be coasting to victory as the third favourite.

But sources close to the seat of power in Abuja had confided in The Beagle News that Owan Enoh and Cletus Obun are likely seen as the jokers in the chess game having been allegedly listed on the Aso Rock list by their inner circle cronies pulling the strings inside the Villa.

The duo is being fronted by some Aso Rock power brokers, who are hell bent on making sure they are accommodated in this administration as compensation for their individual contributions to the growth and survival of the party as well as emergence of President Tinubu.

Owan is said, to an extent, attract the ears of President Bola Tinubu and some of his aides, who were with him at the National Assembly. Beside Owan's heeding the advice of Tinubu to drop the litigation against Governor Bassey Otu, he warmed himself into the hearts of the Presidency, who see him as a loyal party man to the core. Therefore, he needs to be settled for his sacrifice.

But the greatest albatross against Senator Owan is the tactical appointment of his senior brother, Prof. Anthony Owan Enoh as the Secretary to State Government, SSG, in Cross River. His antagonists are circulating the theory that two blood brothers cannot be appointed from the same family, ward and political enclave to the detriment of numerous party loyalists.

On his part, Obun has been a die-in-wool supporter of Tinubu right from their AC, ACN and APC years. Obun was the pioneer Cross River State chairman of ACN and later the Vice Chairman of APC central and was instrumental to the defection of some stalwarts from opposition parties to the APC between 2015 and 2017.

Checks by The Beagle News indicated that Obun remains one of the oldest ACN and APC members that has not been given any serious appointment. It was gathered that Obun has been the unofficial spokesperson of APC appearing in national television defending APC programmes and policies but always overlooked during sharing of political bounties due to his perceived radical posture on public issues. A source close to APC Presidential Campaign Council said Obun was up and doing defending Tinubu and projecting APC and therefore deserves to be appreciated.

The former Governor, Ben Ayade seen as an outsider in the race due to his abysmal track records in public office is leaving no stone unturned in the fight for the ministerial consideration in a bid to guarantee political relevance. Ayade, who has been abandoned by the people he has helped to climb the political ladder for fears of being associated with his antecedents, is on intensive lobbying campaign for the state ministerial slot by reaching out to his former colleagues in governorship forum, especially from the north. He is exploring his influence and connection with some former governors to push his way.

The entry of former governor Donald Duke name into the state ministerial permutation is one of the greatest surprise to political watchers. Donald Duke, is a staunch PDP member and a close ally of former Rivers Governor, Nyesom Wike. Duke is alleged to be fronted by Wike and the G-5, who have formed a solid pact with Tinubu and other parties to form a government of national unity. According to a reliable source close to G-5, if the alliance succeeds, then Duke is a sure bet for national assignment.

As expected, the jostling for ministerial appointment is causing rumblings within the APC. The fight is mostly between the foundation members, otherwise called Legacy members, and the defected members mostly from opposition parties especially the PDP to the ruling party, leading to formation of factions.

The Beagle News gathered that these personages and interests are all over Abuja reaching out to their contacts in a bid to outsmart one another in grappling for the slot allocated to the state. Each of them is not resting on its oars in an attempt to get nominated.

Some dependable sources hinted different lobby groups and mergers of sort, led by Ndoma-Egba, Owan Enoh and Edu have emerged among the top contenders. A source disclosed that Ndoma-Egba seems to be mobilising prominent Cross Riverians and holding nocturnal meetings to plot the downfall of perceived opponents against their individual aspirations.

The source further disclosed that Owan and Cletus have formed a tag-team to forestall new APC members picking up the ministerial slot. The duo in a meeting held at Owan's house in Abuja, agreed to collaborate on this project and promised to work for each other in the event that either of them emerged. They admitted having worked at cross purposes prior to current contest, but opted to bury the hatchet for mutual benefits. 

Back home, the APC Legacy Group, clamouring for due recognition as the foundation members are advising President Bola Tinubu on the modus operandi to follow in picking a ministerial nominee from the state. The group, a congregation of foundation members of the APC who were a part of the three defunct political parties of ACN, CPC, ANPP that came together in 2013 to form what is now known as the APC, or had joined the party shortly before the 2015 elections, insist that one of them should be appointed this time to compensate them for their struggles and steadfastness.

A member of the group, Mr Sampson Egom, posited that it was important for the APC and President Tinubu to be properly guided before choosing his ministerial nominee from Cross River, adding that the members of the Legacy Group need to be rewarded and promoted though they are the silent majority who do not have political godfathers and godmothers but had contributed immensely to the growth and expansion of the party in the state.

According to Egom, “We have a lot of committed, dedicated, and competent party members who are qualified to be appointed ministers. President Tinubu should look at all of them, evaluate them fairly and carefully before selecting one of them. He should look at their political profile and adjudge which of them will give the people of the state a good representation, a person who truly knows the state well and can add value to his administration.”

An APC stalwart, who does not want his name mentioned, said he foresees a minister emerging from the above-listed names, adding that any of them that is finally picked would make a good representation.

The party chieftain advised the Presidency and the party to consider Governor Otu's list to avoid creating much bad blood in which those who clinched it outside his list would not see themselves as super breed politicians.