By Ike Uchechukwu, CALABAR

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has disqualified Mr. Oden Ewa, Cross River State Commissioner for Special Duties and Intergovernmental Affairs, from the party’s senatorial primary for the Cross River Central Senatorial District ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Ewa, who is regarded as a key figure in Governor Bassey Otu’s administration and widely perceived as the governor’s anointed candidate for the senatorial seat, failed to secure clearance from the APC National Screening Committee.

The party announced the disqualification on Monday in a statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Felix Morka, after concluding the screening exercise for senatorial aspirants across the country.

Also disqualified from the Cross River is Daniel Effiong Asuquo, who was eyeing the Cross River South Senatorial District ticket. No specific reasons were given for the disqualification of the affected aspirants.

Nationwide, 47 aspirants were not cleared, including former Bayelsa East Senator Ben Murray-Bruce.

The development has sent shockwaves through political circles in Cross River State, where Ewa is seen as one of the strongest pillars of the Otu administration and a major grassroots mobiliser for the APC.

His exclusion has sparked intense reactions among party members, many of whom viewed him as the preferred candidate to fly the APC flag for the Central District.

As at press time, the APC is yet to announce whether disqualified aspirants would be allowed to appeal the screening outcome.

The disqualification of such a prominent government official has raised questions about internal dynamics within the ruling party in Cross River State.