By Kelvin Obambon
Stakeholders and leaders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Obubra Local Government Area, on Sunday, gathered to reinforce party cohesion and align strategies ahead of the upcoming general elections, with leaders declaring an end to internal divisions and guaranteeing a total sweep at the polls.
The interface, which brought together key figures from across the Central Senatorial District, focused on genuine reconciliation following the outcome of the party’s primaries, building a robust polling-unit campaign structure, and delivering total votes for all APC candidates from top to bottom.
Speaking during the meeting, the APC Senatorial Candidate for Cross River Central, Hon. Oden Ewa, described his visit as a critical step toward unifying the party base. He noted that the upcoming elections are pivotal to sustaining the development trajectory of both Cross River and Nigeria.
“I am here for four reasons: to say a very big thank you to the people of Obubra for your support during the primaries, for genuine reconciliation, to outline our campaign plans, and to emphasize the importance of the upcoming elections,” Ewa stated.
Addressing grievances that arose from the competitive party primaries, Hon. Oden Ewa offered an unreserved apology to any aggrieved party members. “In the process of party primaries, different interests emerge – it is normal. The important thing is that after that process, there is no victor and no vanquished; it is the people who win ultimately. For everything that we have done that perhaps may not have gone well with you, I am sorry. It is time for reconciliation, we shake hands and prove ourselves as brothers and sisters.”
The senatorial hopeful also stressed that the party’s upcoming strategy will focus heavily on grassroots mobilization, stating that “When the campaign structures are formed, our concentration is going to be at the polling unit levels. Even if you are the chairman of the campaign, you are still going to have to man your polling unit. We want to turn out votes that we have never turned out before.”
Chief Alex Irek, a prominent political leader recognized as the architect of the APC in Obubra and Cross River, welcomed the candidate and assured him of the LGA’s complete loyalty to the party.
“As a party, everybody is welcome, so we welcome all of you. Anybody coming here today will know that APC is on track,” Irek said. “When a race starts, there will be people who are on the other way and people who are this way. But the most important thing is that when you win, you have to get all the people together. I tell you that those people, some of them will work better and stronger than those whom you think are in the vanguard.”
He reaffirmed Obubra’s historical voting pattern, stating that “One thing about Obubra is that we vote the party. We don’t vote for any other thing. Once the party has said this is the candidate, I want to assure you that the result will speak for itself. We will give the vote to the National Assembly, the House of Assembly, the Governor, and the President. The moment our people see the broom, they go to the broom.” However, Chief Irek also urged party leaders to ensure that post-election government appointments reflect the hard work of loyal local supporters who drive the votes at home.
Reinforcing the message of unity, the Chairman of Obubra Local Government Area, Hon. Kingsley Arikpo, declared that opposition politics in the area had effectively ended and pledged a complete victory for the APC.
“The time for politics has come and gone. Today, we have a candidate,” Arikpo declared. “All our candidates, from top to bottom in all elections will be delivered 100 over 100. There is no opposition in Obubra. Opposition in Obubra was cracked down long ago, and we will not try opposition anytime soon. We receive and obey the policy and decision of the party.”
Adding to the call for solidarity, Prince Ebuta Ayuk, grand patron of APC Central Alliance, reflected on the deep historical ties between Obubra and neighboring Etung, urging party members to put past misunderstandings behind them.
“Whatever had happened in the past, please let it remain in the past. We are going to open a new chapter beginning from today going forward,” Ayuk noted, describing Hon. Oden Ewa as a dynamic figure capable of elevating Cross River Central’s representation in the National Assembly.
The stakeholders engagement concluded with a unified pledge from Obubra political leaders, youth and women groups to establish a polling-unit-driven campaign architecture aimed at delivering maximum voter turnout for the APC in the forthcoming elections.
