Former Vice Chancellor of the University of Calabar, Unical, Zana Itiunbe Akpagu, has suspended his campaign and ambition to contest the Cross River North Senatorial election in 2023 .
Akpagu in a signed terse statement sighted by www.calitown.com, maintained that “…after careful consideration of the prevailing circumstances and after wide consultations with family,friends and associates, I have arrived at the painful but well considered decision to suspend campaign and withdraw from the 2023 race to represent Cross River Northern Senatorial District. I count on your understanding and enjoin all of you to keep the faith.”
Sources inside the All Progressives Congress, APC, in CRS, on whose platform Akpagu was to run, informed us that the former VC appears to have lost out in a power play that subtly pitched him against state governor, Ben Ayade. “You know Akpagu and Ayade come from the same place, Ipong Ward, in Obudu LGA and it sure looks certain that only one cock wants to crow there. Akpagu has to be shut out so that Ayade can go on and politically be anything he wants to be. You can clearly see through the machinations that have made Akpagu throw in the towel and wave his ambition goodbye.”
“We believe that the governor may throw his weight behind one of his trusted aides to run against the PDP’s candidate, Jarigbe Agom, who we know is not an easy nut to crack. We hear that there’s already jubilation in his camp, knowing that whoever the governor brings may be unable to beat Jarigbe to the tape”, we were further informed.
Meanwhile, Jarigbe Agom Jarigbe, who presently represents CR North in the Senate, has been cleared by the screening committee of his party, the PDP, to stand for re-election, unopposed. We gather that no other person indicated interest to run against Jarigbe in the party’s primaries due soon.
