2027: Ayade’s Return Bid and Jarigbe’s Defection Set Stage for Political Showdown in Cross River North

Political tension is rising in Cross River North as former Governor Ben Ayade reportedly plots a return to the Senate — a move that has sparked renewed rivalry with incumbent Senator Jarigbe Agom Jarigbe, ahead of the 2027 elections.

The brewing storm follows Jarigbe’s unexpected defection last week from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), a switch that has unsettled existing power dynamics in the region.

Jarigbe, who currently represents Cross River North in the National Assembly, first clinched the seat in a December 2020 by-election after defeating Ayade’s preferred candidate, Dr Stephen Odey. He went on to reaffirm his dominance in the February 2023 general election, defeating Ayade — then contesting on the APC platform — by polling 76,145 votes against the former governor’s 56,595.

Observers believe Jarigbe’s defection to the APC is a strategic move to consolidate his influence within the ruling party and preempt Ayade’s rumored comeback bid.

A recent commentary by Emmanuel Unah, a journalist and political aide to the chairman of Yala Local Government Area, reflected growing anxiety among Ayade’s loyalists.

In the article titled “The Ominous Cloud in Cross River North,” Unah warned of “dark clouds hovering” over the district, accusing some politicians of trying to “reap where they did not sow.”

“Those who socketed the state to the centre deserve to partake in the benefits of that struggle, not have them usurped by those who have relished theirs,” he wrote, adding that “in politics, there is a queue, and anyone who comes in must stay on the queue from the point he joins.”

The internal wrangling over political loyalty and entitlement is not new to the APC in Cross River State. When Ayade defected from the PDP to the APC in May 2020, about 95 per cent of his cabinet members followed suit, instantly energising the party but leaving its founding members feeling sidelined.

Many early APC loyalists accused Ayade’s camp of hijacking key party structures and appointments, a rift that continues to define intra-party politics in the state.

At last week’s South-South APC constitution review meeting in Calabar, some aggrieved members renewed their call for a constitutional provision that would prioritise long-time members over defectors in future appointments and leadership roles.

In response, the state APC chairman, Alphonsus Ogar Eba — himself an Ayade ally — acknowledged the complaints and assured that the concerns were being documented for review.

With both Ayade and Jarigbe now in the same political camp, analysts predict a fierce internal showdown for control of the APC structure in Cross River North. The outcome, they say, could reshape the political landscape of the district and determine the balance of power heading into 2027.