Sources close to Professor Zana Akpagu, the outgoing Vice Chancellor of University of Calabar have hinted that he is seriously warming up to step into the shoes of late Senator Rose Oko who represented Cross River Northern Senatorial District in the National Assembly.
The sources said Prof Akpagu will soon declare his intention to contest the vacant position of Senator Oko who died in March following an illness.
Akpagu, who has few more months to complete his tenure as the university boss, is the only one whose desire has been made known.
Information from the university showed that Akpagu would soon proceed on the mandatory three months’ pre-retirement leave in accordance with the official requirement.
The sources said Akpagu is waiting for the burial of late Rose Oko, the late senator who died just one year into her second term, representing the senatorial district.
“We can confirm authoritatively that the vice chancellor has confirmed his desire to contest the senatorial election as the green light has been shown by INEC after the burial of the former senator.
“He will definitely come to the open to formally declare his desire. But what is uppermost now is his preparation to proceed on his pre-retirement leave when he will consolidate on his strategies to win the by-election whenever declared,” one of his aides said.
He said though Akpagu hails from Obudu LGA of the state which, like Yala LGA, the contest will be between one that has the capacity and not on local government area that has never produced a senator to be favoured to present a candidate.
Ogoja LGA is the only one out of the five LGAs that make up Cross River Northern Senatorial District that has not produced a senator.
