OFONIME UMANAH
Senator Jarigbe Agom Jarigbe is no more a member of the Peoples Democratic Party. This is stale news, by the way. Senator Ben Ayade is said to have even welcomed him into the APC, according to social media posts. TNN has not been able to confirm from him. But this is another stale news. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, leader of the APC had received him in Aso Rock on Thursday. Of course, the world is already aware of this.
The world is also aware that Jarigbe was in the home of the FCT minister, Nyesom Wike, the other day, and was part of those who took a group picture behind the brown door, his first since Wike became minister and spoiler-in-chief, working against his own party, the PDP. That visit to Wike’s house may have heralded the historic and epochal defection of Jarigbe, to the APC.
Jarigbe’s entry was made public in a rather dramatic way. On Thursday night, he simply announced via his facebook page, that he had defected to the APC. That was it; before some national television channels started running the news on their scroll bar.
When TNN spoke with him over the telephone, he did not mince words. His voice radiated joy and extreme excitement. It is possible that he was dancing at the other end as he spoke with TNN, informing the reporter about his decision to quit the party, which platform he used to intimidate the then governor, Prof Ben Ayade, indirectly in 2019, and directly in 2023. He had left Aso Rock where he met Tinubu.
In 2019, Jarigbe, caused a stir in the state. He held Ayade by the jugular and showed how politically strong and relevant he was in the Cross River North Senatorial District, where Ayade also comes from.
While Ayade was pushing to have Prof Steve Odey as senator, Jarigbe also wanted the office. He did not mind if Odey was enjoying the full support of a sitting governor. He fought the duo of Ayade and Odey and won at the end.
Years after, when Jarigbe needed to return to the seat, Ayade had left the PDP for the APC as governor. Of course, to get the ticket of the APC for the same senate seat was not a prayer point for Ayade. His chief of staff at the time, had to surrender for him. But Jarigbe was waiting for him at the general election. He dealt with him properly and got re-elected into the senate.
About two years into his fresh term in the senate, he woke up to the stark reality that his party, the PDP, in the words of Chinua Achebe, had fallen apart. And Jarigbe chose to use the exit door. His eyes, obviously, is on the senate seat again. Ayade, is also having his eyes there. There may be others. But the duo are going to be the key persons to look out for in 2007. The battle, this time, will be over the ticket of the APC, not the general election again, because there is nothing to show that any other political party exists in the state.
Jarigbe is already seen to be doing his home work well, consulting and apparently getting the nod of key stakeholders. Wike was with and for him in 2019 and in 2023 respectively. He is still with him. In 2027, signals are, that Wike will still be for him.
Now, the senate president has joined the mix. He led Jarigbe to see the president on Thursday night, to announce that youthful and soft spoken senator had decided to join the president’s gang. Last week, in London, Jarigbe had met one of the south south governors, where his defection plans were discussed. He was encouraged by the governor to move immediately.
Not much is known of Ayade’s latest moves ahead of the 2027 election. But it is said that he is warming up seriously to run for the senate seat again. That means he will have Jarigbe to contend with, for the umpteenth time.
It is not certain if the governor, Senator Bassey Edet Otu, will pull his weight behind Ayade, the man who made it possible for him to secure the seat of governor, when he championed the “back to south” movement. It is also not clear if Tinubu will choose Jarigbe over Ayade when the time comes, just as it is not clear if Wike and Akpabio will stand with Jarigbe or Ayade, when the party is ready to give out its ticket for the Cross River North senatorial district.
The only thing that is almost certain is that Jarigbe and Ayade will be in the boxing ring for the APC ticket.
