Senator Eteng rejects reconciliation claims over APC ticket
– Denies withdrawing case against Oden Ewa
By Emma Una
SENATOR Eteng Williams representing Cross River Central has denied withdrawing his court case challenging the emergence of Mr Oden Ewa as the winner of the APC Senatorial ticket for the Cross River Central district
The Senator on Tuesday rejected claims that the dispute over the ticket has been resolved, with him giving up contention for the ticket and withdrawing the court case in an Abuja High Court on the matter.
The latest development comes after Cross River State Deputy Governor, Dr Peter Odey, announced on Monday that a reconciliation meeting convened at his residence at the instance of Governor Bassey Otu had settled the disagreement between Senator Eteng Jonah Williams and Oden Ewa over the ticket.
According to the Deputy Governor, the contending parties had resolved their differences, while all court cases relating to the disputed APC primary had been withdrawn. He subsequently urged party members and supporters to unite behind Oden Ewa ahead of the forthcoming election.
However, a supporter of the Senator, Mr Emmanuel Ikpi, speaking for Senator Eteng Williams, dismissed the claims as inaccurate, insisting that discussions remain at a preliminary stage and that the Senator has not withdrawn his legal challenge.
Ikpi described reports suggesting that Williams had abandoned the lawsuit as “propaganda” aimed at forcing acceptance of the outcome of the party primary.
“The process that purportedly produced Oden Ewa as the APC flag bearer cannot withstand the provisions of the law and the amended Electoral Act. The hurried circulation of what we consider fabricated statements alleging that Senator Eteng has withdrawn the case amounts to propaganda and emotional blackmail,” Ikpi stated
He further alleged that members of the public were informed that at the end of the resolution meeting, Senator Eteng had been urged to withdraw all court cases arising from the primary election and he promised to do so, which is far from the truth.
“Shortly after the meeting, we were surprised to see reports on social media suggesting that the matter had been resolved and that the court cases had been withdrawn, which is not the case,” he added.
Ikpi claimed that the meeting merely opened the door for dialogue and did not produce any resolution or binding agreement on the disputed senatorial ticket.
The Senator also refuted impressions created by photographs circulating on social media where he and Ewa were seen standing shoulder-to-shoulder at the end of the meeting as a sign of resolution of the dispute, maintaining that no photographs were taken during the recent meeting and that the images being shared were from an unrelated event held in 2025
The controversy has further deepened divisions within the APC in Cross River Central, where the outcome of the party’s senatorial primary has remained a subject of intense disagreement among party stakeholders.
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