Few weeks to the governorship elections in Cross River State, opposition parties in the state seem not to be prepared for the elections. The parties that would have given the ruling Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, a good fight during the elections are embroiled in crisis.
The Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, seen by many as the leading opposition party in Cross River State is reportedly factionalised following the removal of Cletus Obun as the state chairman of the party. At the party’s congress held at the Paradise City Hotel in Calabar last week, a new executive was elected to run the affairs of the party with Hilliad Etta as chairman. Hon. Obun, a former member of the state House of Assembly decamped from the ruling PDP in 2003. Most ACN members in Cross River had blamed the electoral misfortune of the party in the state on the ineptitude of the sacked party executive whom they also accused of financial impropriety.
The Labour Party, LP, on its part is also said to have split following a battle of wit between Dr. Theo Onyukwu and the party’s governorship candidate, Mrs. Imah Nsa-Adegoke. Dr. Onyukwu, who was the chairman of Labour Party in Cross River State, had interest in the party’s governorship ticket, but Mrs. Nsa-Adegoke emergence as an aspirant pitched both of them against each other.
The crisis within the party however forced Dr. Onyukwu to decamp to Hope Democratic Party, HDP, where he is the party’s governorship candidate.
The All Nigeria Peoples Party, ANPP, in the Cross River State is also facing serious internal crises. The leadership crisis plaguing the party has adversely affected the party’s electoral chances in the state. 
In 1999, All Peoples Party, APP which later metamorphosed into ANPP was the dominant party in the state.  Though PDP won the governorship, the party produced more local government chairmen as well as state and National Assembly members. Unfortunately, the party has been factionalised with each of the factions claiming control of the party.
The situation in ACN is particularly said to be worrisome. The party was seen by many as the main rival to the ruling PDP in Cross River State. The leadership tussle in the party has weakened the party. Obun has described his purported removal as ACN chairman in the state as a farce.  He told this magazine that those claiming to remove him as chairman were sponsored to destabilise the party, adding “they are paid to destroy the party now that the election is fast approaching. There is no such thing, there was no congress ordered by the national secretariat of the party.  We held our congress in January last year, and all the elected party officials are still in office.” He said he is challenging his removal in court, which has ordered that the status quo should remain until the determination of the matter.
But the party’s new chairman, Hilliad Etta said the party was not served with any court order restraining it from conducting the congress that elected a new executive for the party. He told this magazine that the congress has been validated by the national secretariat of the party and advised Obun to stop parading himself as ACN chairman in the state.
On the party’s preparedness for the forthcoming governorship elections, Etta said the party was not leaving any stone unturned. “We are always prepared for elections, and this particular elections will not be an exception.” 
The crisis within opposition parties in Cross River State has however withered their chances of creating any impact during the February 25 governorship elections in the state; the ruling party is reportedly taking advantage of the rumble in the opposition camp.