2023 Elections: PDP’s Agom-Jarigbe ends Gov. Ayade’s senatorial ambition in Cross River North

Governor Ben Ayade has lost his bid to return to the Senate following his defeat by the incumbent senator representing Cross River North, Jarigbe Agom-Jarigbe.

Mr Ayade, who was in the Senate between 2011 and 2015, lost the National Assembly elections conducted on Saturday with 56,595 votes against Agom-Jarigbe’s of the PDP who scored 76,145 votes.

The returning officer, Emmanuel Emanghe, who spoke on behalf of INEC, announced the result for the polls around 3:05 a.m. on Monday.

National Daily reports that Mr Agom-Jarigbe, a two-time member of the House of Representatives, was elected into the Senate through a bye-election in September 2021 following the death of Rose Okoh.

Mr Ayade, who is serving out his two-term as governor of the state, sought to replace Mr Agom-Jarigbe as the Senator representing Northern senatorial district of Cross River.