By Ike Uchechukwu, Calabar
Crisis is brewing within the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Cross River State as the state chairman, Venatius Ikem Esq, has rejected the reported dissolution of the state executive by the party’s National Publicity Secretary.
Ikem, in a statement issued on Friday, described the move as an “illegal attempt to subvert democratic processes and impose an unpopular leadership” on the state chapter.
On Thursday, the National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Hon. Debo Ologunagba, announced that the Cross River executive had been dissolved, claiming its tenure had expired. The national leadership subsequently directed a South-South Zonal Caretaker Committee, led by Chief Emmanuel Ogidi, to assume control and conduct the state congress on September 27.
But Ikem dismissed the announcement as a brazen abuse of power, arguing that it violated the PDP constitution and reflected desperation by certain national leaders seeking to manipulate the party’s internal elections.
He said: “The Cross River State Executive of the PDP was inaugurated on September 29, 2021. Our tenure therefore ends on September 29, 2025. This is precisely why the National Working Committee fixed September 27 for the state congress.
“The Constitution of the Peoples Democratic Party has never approved chats on social media platforms as meetings of the party or as genuine channels for convening NWC meetings on crucial issues.
“The purported dissolution is illegal and a deliberate attempt to install an unpopular State Executive Committee with persons who cannot otherwise win at the legitimate congress scheduled for September 27.”
Describing the move as an abuse of office and an affront to the party’s constitution, Ikem accused the NWC of repeatedly misusing its authority under the guise of acting for the National Executive Committee.
He urged party members and supporters in the state to remain calm and law-abiding, assuring them that the current executive would resist any attempt to derail the progress recorded by the PDP in Cross River over the years.
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