Law maker representing Obubra II state constituency in the Cross River
State House of Assembly Hon. Elocate Okora has debunked allegations
that his defection to the APC was masterminded by Sen. John Owan Enoh.
Okora refuted the allegation while reacting to the Cross River State
House of Assembly decision which declared Okora’s seat vacant on
Friday.
The Law maker said, 'Nobody should correlate my defection interest to
Sen. John Owan-Enoh. I had taken pains to explain to some of my leaders that the decision I took wasn’t masterminded by Sen. John Owan
Enoh'.
'You can’t hold John Owan Enoh liable for my decision in any way. He
is not aware that I have taken this decision'.
The House of Assembly had yesterday declared Okora’s seat vacant
because he defected early this month to the opposition APC.
The House leadership in a motion moved by Leader of the House, Hon.
Moses Ocheche, member representing Obanlikwu state constituency
invoked section 109(g)2 to punish Okora for defecting to APC.
The House leadership through the Speaker of the House, Rt. Hon. John
Gaul Lebo, in a resolution asked INEC to conduct a election within
180days to fill in the vacant position.
It will be recalled that Sen. John Owan Enoh who is a member representing Cross River Central senatorial district at the National Assembly is a former political ally of Gov. Ben Ayade of Cross River State. But their relationship recently got soured as a result of
their political indifference.
Dr. Okora stated, “I addressed the house and told them that they are
taking a decision based on a correspondent that I sent to the house. I
already articulated my reasons for defecting to another party and
those reasons find credence in the constitutional window”.
In that section,I explained the fact that that section is talking
about defecting to a party other than the one you contested election
except that the party from which you have defected from has official
crisis.
The law maker said, 'I explained the crises which rocked the party
since it's convention in Port Harcourt up till the day I took the decision. The resolution of the crises is just merely on Friday and indeed a justification of the fact that there were crises which was a
basis of my decision'.
The lawmaker claimed that the legislature have no competence to
explain matters of such nature as matter of such nature were better explain by court of competent jurisdiction.
On the allegation that he came under persecution because of his
perceived relationship with Sen. John Owan Enoh former PDP Senator who
defected to the APC due to some alleged disagreement with Gov. Ben
Ayade of Cross River State.
'They are getting it wrong for tieing people to your enemies in any
case, if John Enoh is enemy to somebody ,you don’t make his friends
your enemies as well. But they have made some of us their enemies
because of Sen. John Owan'.
So anything I do now is Sen. John Owan-Enoh, this is gross abuse to my
integrity and personality.
When asked if he would go to court to seek rederss, The law maker
said, if the decision that I took have affected the a political party,
I think the party has a national character the party will definitely
wade into the matter.
The embattled lawmaker maintained that his decision to quit the PDP
was constitutional adding that section109(g)2 gives any one the right
to leave the party whenever the party was in trouble.
He said that the trouble which brewed up in the PDP since the Port Hacourt convention threw the entire PDP in crises from the national to the ward level stressing that for any one to claim that there was no crises in the PDP was ridiculous.
