By Okoi Obono-Obla
On 18 May 2026, the All Progressives Congress (APC) conducted its primary election for the Central Senatorial District of Cross River State across all 66 electoral wards that constitute the district. The outcome was both remarkable and unprecedented: Oden Ewa, a youthful and charismatic figure who until recently served as Commissioner for Special Duties and Intergovernmental Relations in Cross River State, secured a decisive victory over Senator Eteng Jonah Williams, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Petroleum Upstream. Ewa garnered more than 32,000 votes, while Senator Williams managed only 772. In keeping with the entrenched political culture of rejection, Senator Williams dismissed the results, alleging that no election had taken place in the 66 wards, while his supporters have sought to discredit the process through false narratives.
This development underscores a broader issue: several aspirants who suffered resounding defeats during the primaries demonstrated a fundamental lack of understanding of the electoral procedure. Many appeared confused about the venue for collation of results from Boki, Etung, Ikom, Obubra, Abi, and Yakurr Local Government Areas, mistakenly assuming that these were the locations where the elections themselves should have been conducted. Their misinterpretation stemmed from the false belief that APC had retained the Indirect Primary or Collegiate System employed in 2022, when delegates from the six Local Government Areas gathered at the Ikom Sports Stadium to elect the candidate.
It is particularly striking that some aspirants, despite their involvement in enacting the 2026 Electoral Act, failed to enlighten their supporters about the significant procedural shift. The Act mandates Direct Primaries as the method of candidate nomination, thereby requiring elections to be held in every ward. This departure from the delegate system of 2022 was not only deliberate but designed to deepen grassroots participation.
A comment from Mr. Okoi Appollo illustrates the confusion:
“With due respect to you Chief, if I may ask, did the just concluded primary elections truly reflect fairness, equity, and accountability? Secondly, I vividly recall that in 2019 at the Ikom headquarters of the Central Senatorial District, you, Akin Ricket, Mary Ekpere, John Inyang, and the then Hon. Eteng Jones were all present and witnessed the primary elections, which probably didn’t favour you and the rest. This election was conducted right in your presence. Please sir, I wish to know as a young politician if it is the same process you passed through that brought Oden Ewa today?”
The answer is straightforward: under the 2026 Electoral Act, the APC adopted Direct Primaries, not Delegates or Indirect Primaries. Elections were duly conducted in all 66 wards of the Central Senatorial District, and this is precisely what transpired on 18 May 2026. The confusion of aspirants who rushed to Ikom, expecting collation of results, only highlights their failure to remain in their wards and actively participate in the process.
Conclusion
The 2026 APC Senatorial Primaries in Cross River Central District marked a decisive break from past practices. By embracing Direct Primaries, the party ensured that every ward played a meaningful role in candidate selection, thereby reinforcing grassroots democracy. Those who misunderstood the procedure revealed not only their lack of awareness of the new electoral framework but also their inability to adapt to the evolving democratic processes within the party.
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