Incumbent Senator, Jarigbe Agom-Jarigbe defeated Governor Ben Ayade in the National Assembly elections held on Saturday in Cross River North. Ayade, who previously served in the Senate from 2011 to 2015, garnered 56,595 votes while Agom-Jarigbe, a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), received 76,145 votes. The Independent National Electoral Commission INEC‘s returning officer, Dr. Emmanuel Emanghe, declared the results of the polls at around 3:05 a.m. on Monday 27th February 2023. As he concludes his second term as Governor of Cross River State, Ayade competed for the position of Senator representing the Northern senatorial district of the state, attempting to unseat Agom-Jarigbe which failed.