The newly appointed Commissioner for Information and Orientation in Cross River State, Pastor Ekpenyong Cobham, has given reasons for the removal of former chairman of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in the state, Mr Alphonsus Ogar Eba.
Cobham spoke during his maiden interaction with journalists in Calabar, where he said Eba’s removal followed allegations of financial impropriety, maladministration and failure to meet some obligations to members of the party’s State Working Committee.
Eba, who served as APC chairman during the administration of former Governor Ben Ayade and the first two years of the administration of Governor Bassey Otu, has since joined the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), where he is the running mate to the party’s governorship candidate.
The former APC chairman had recently criticised the Otu administration, alleging, among other things, that government contracts were being awarded to associates and family members and that funds were being paid to groups to prevent violence and other vices.
Responding to the allegations, Cobham questioned Eba’s credibility to make such accusations, citing allegations previously levelled against him during his time as Director-General of the state’s Due Process Office.
According to the commissioner, Eba allegedly failed to adhere to the principles guiding the office and was involved in transactions concerning public assets that he said raised questions about due process.
Cobham challenged critics of the administration to engage the government on its policies and performance, saying they should “call for a debate, try and raise the bar, educate themselves to the strata we are operating under.”
He also said Eba, as a lawyer, had the option of seeking legal redress if he believed his removal from office was unjustified.
“If he thinks he was pushed out of office wrongly, he is a lawyer. He should have gone to court,” Cobham said.
On Eba’s movement from the APC to the PDP and his emergence as a deputy governorship candidate, Cobham said the former APC chairman appeared to be celebrating his political fortunes prematurely, insisting that the outcome of the election would ultimately determine the strength of the claim.
Cross River Information Commissioner explains Eba’s removal as APC chairman