Cross River PDP chairmanship crisis deepens as group defends Ikem’s endorsement

A support group within the Cross River State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the Grassroots Democratic Alliance (GDA), has criticised the party’s Southern senatorial district caucus for rejecting the endorsement of the incumbent Chairman of the state, Mr Venatius Ikem, for a second term.

The rebuttal comes days after separate caucus meetings held by party stakeholders from the southern and central districts.

The caucuses had rejected Ikem’s continuation in office and instead declared support for the candidacy of another aspirant, Mr Tim Ekawu, ahead of the party’s state congress scheduled for September.

In a statement issued in Calabar and signed by its Chairman, Effiom Bassey, and Secretary, Ntui Agbor, the GDA characterised the southern caucus’s position as the work of politicians who have lost credibility with the party’s base.

The group asserted that the decision to extend Ikem’s tenure was reached through due process and cited his “proven track record in public service” as a key reason for his endorsement. It contrasted this with what it termed a “glaring lack of credibility among his detractors.”

The GDA took a harsh view of the alternative candidate, Ekawu, describing his candidacy as “a joke”.

The group accused Ekawu, whom they identified as a former coordinator for the African Democratic Congress (ADC) in Cross River North, of defying party directives.

The GDA questioned the legitimacy of the meeting where the southern caucus made its decision, noting the absence of major stakeholders like former Deputy Governor Effiok Cobham, former National Assembly members Honourable Essien Ayi and Honourable Etta Mbora, as well as all six local government PDP chairmen from the district.

The group dismissed the gathering as “a depleted and desperate group” and “a gathering of a drowning cartel surviving on political horse trading whose time has expired.”

It’s alleged that many attendees were individuals who had already defected to the ADC and were therefore no longer members of the PDP’s legitimate structures.

The group said that the future of the party could not be entrusted to those it accused of failing to strengthen it as a credible opposition force in the state.

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