Obubra- Etung federal seat still mired in controversies mycrossriver/squabbles-and-petitions-mar-obubraetung-reps-contest/ The last appears not to have been heard of the process to produce a successor to Rt Hon. John Owan Enoh for the Obubra/Etung Federal Constituency as two attempts so far have not only been checkered and clad in serious controversies and inconclusive. During the first attempt to produce a standard bearer for the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, for the constituency, a twenty one member committee was set to whittle down the list of aspirants from fourteen to three. The committee was made up of men and women from both Obubra and Etung caucuses of the party and from what transpired then, Innocent Chima, Mike Etaba and Blessing Egbara emerged as first, second and third respectively. However, during that exercise, there were allegations of high-level bribery and money changing hands between the aspirants and committee members. In one case it was alleged that the Obubra LGA Chairman, Dr Kerian Mfam gave the Etung members of the 21 man panel the sum of 10 million naira to facilitate the emergence of Innocent Chima with whom the LGA boss had reached a written agreement that he will only go for a single term after which he, Kerian will take over for the second term on completion of chairmanship stint. Mike Etaba on his part was said to have given the sum of 21 million naira to the Etung members and in addition a brand new Lexus jeep to Prince Ebuta Ayuk, an influential member of the panel. while Mrs Blessing Egbara- an Abuja based socialite who came third was said to have given the sum of 10 million also for ease of passage. One of the aspirants who hails from constituency 1 in Obubra informed mycrossriver that during the meeting of all the aspirants held at Rt Hon Owan Enoh’s residence, Rev. Chris Obase tabled all the allegations before him. “There .and then some of the aspirants owned up to parting with monies. Etaba admitted in the meeting to gifting the luxury car to Prince Ayuk and when Owan Enoh met with the committee members, afterwards tabled all the allegations by the aspirants in the meeting and it was said that prince Ebuta admitted receiving the car, but that it was a gift from Mike Etaba who is his colleague in the oil industry”. Mr Ayuk also told Rt Hon Enoh in his defense that the former Obubra LGA Chairman, Mr Nicholas Ayuwa offered him a cash sum of 4 million naira which he rejected. The accusations and counter accusations that bedeviled the meeting left other members of the committee who were kept out of the wheeling and dealing totally bewildered. A reliable source told mycrossriver that the list of three names and the order in which they appeared had leaked to other aspirants three full days before the screening exercise took place and as such, it was no surprise when the committee after the stage-managed process brought out those same names. “The outcry against the methods used and the compromised process was what led to a heated 5- hours session of the joint caucuses at Jorany hotel where the controversial list was then set aside for a new process where the caucuses were asked to vote”. But our source said one of the committee members said the Etung members on the panel who had been indicted for bribe taking to justify themselves the sums they had taken still went ahead to write the names of those who gave them the money and also instructed others right on the floor of the hall to vote in a particular pattern that eventually saw the repeat of the same names with the exception of inclusion of Hon Fabian Okpa to pacify him following his vociferous opposition to the first process. . “The inclusion of Hon Okpa was done as a means of justifying the first list. Also, one of the member of caucus admitted receiving the sum of one hundred thousand naira minutes before the voting to vote Mike Etaba and that the monies were distributed by a contact person from Etung as the voting process ensued”. .. As things stand right now ahead of the screening of the final list of aspirants who purchased the nomination forms for the House of Reps by representatives of the national PDP, petitions have begun to fly in from several quarters against some of the aspirants. In a copy of the petition made available to us, the petitioner - the concerned democrats of Obubra allege that Mike Etaba presented a fake certificate suggesting that he graduated from the University of Calabar with a degree in Business Administration. Based on the dates on the documents, he claims to have graduated in October 2012. But that when the University Senate sat on August 8th 2012 to clear results, Etabas name was struck out as it was discovered that he never attended six course and was to remedy six other courses. However, the certificate he has was issued on August 12 of same year. The question the petitioner is asking is how it was possible to have remedied the 12 courses in four days and gotten certificate signed by the same Senate that never sat again in 2012 after August 8. The petitioner also draws attention to fact that the NYSC exemption certificate which Etaba tendered has features deemed inconsistent with others from same office . The Petition against Innocent Chima is no less grievous. He was said to have been indicted for contravening the oath of public service. According to documents made available by a certain serving member of the cross River State House of Assembly, Chima was found to have failed to resign his appointment in unical when he was appointed as an officer in the Obubra Council and was receiving salaries from both places. An allegation to which he admitted when he was caught and he did try to make restitution by refunding the sums he had collected. Innocent, who is a lawyer, has said that since he was not charged before a competent court of law, he is not a criminal. The drama appears unending. However, one thing that has come out very loudly in this whole process, is how Hon Owan Enoh, an erstwhile darling of the Obubra people whose large number of voters he is counting on to rout senator victor Ndoma Egba in the battle for the senate seat of the central senatorial district, has lost so much ground and goodwill among the Obubra people. An Obubra leader, Chife Agara Adiche said , We never expected to be paid back this way; look at the very poor quality of aspirants that are being thrown up now when it is the turn of Obubra to send someone to the House of Representatives when we have very viable persons vying for the position for which Owan has set very high standard”. Chief Adiche said the youths, women, elders, everybody is very annoyed with what is happening and the leaders of “the party have to redeem themselves before it is too late. For the people of Obubra who appear to have lost faith in the process, they still have hope that redemption would come from higher quarters as the Obubra leader stated, “ all our hope now is on governor Liyel Imoke; we know he will not accept this rubbish that has been done. We know what he stands for. Capacity and high quality representation”. The Chief said during the planned meeting with the governor the caucus, the people had gathered all their grievances to present him to seek for redress but due to this delegate list matter, that meeting has not held but we know our governor will intervene. With the submission of nomination forms closed last Friday, only the future would tell how this knotty issue would be resolved.
Posted on: Wed, 19 Nov 2014 17:25:29 +0000
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