13 PDP aspirants in the March 28 local government council election in Cross River State have said emphatically that the danger of losing Cross River State as a PDP state to the opposition party, APC, has become too real.
In a petition they jointly signed and submitted to the national headquarters of the party against the leadership of the party in the state for allegedly imposing persons as candidates of the party for the upcoming local government council election was one conspicuous reason.
They also feared that the state governor was hobnobbing with leaders and other critical stakeholders of APC for his personal future.
They have insisted that the entire process was faulty, dubious, sham, and done with impunity, and so the exercise should be cancelled.
They warned that the party should do the right thing otherwise the Zamfara episode which the party benefitted from may be used against it.
The candidates, drawn from the three senatorial districts of the state said the exercise fell short of the provisions of the party, foreclosing that the danger of losing the state looms larger by this act of outright imposition and impunity.
Reacting, state chairman of the party, Ntufam Edim Inok said nobody has right to complain because they were not doing anything out of the ordinary, adding that those complaining were not their members.”
Chairman of the Cross River State Independent Electoral Commission (CROSIEC), Dr Mike Ushie has also denied that the commission has compromised.
The petition addressed was signed by all the 13 candidates, some of them include Godwin Offiono (Yala), Naku John ( Ogoja LGA), Ikpi Ubana Eyong Yakurr LGA) Obi Stephen Owan (Etung LGA) and Orok Bassey Duke (Odukpani LGA).
According to the aggrieved candidates, “What happened in the state was a meeting of a few people who wrote names and forwarded same to CROSIEC as candidates of the party.
“We therefore respectfully urge you to admonish the leadership of the party in Cross River State, to cancel the entire process, which was a sham and conduct fresh primary elections for the emergence of candidates.
“We foresee danger ahead for the party if Cross River State Government does not do the right thing, the precedent in Zamfara state is too fresh that our memory will be aloof, we benefitted.
The candidates emphasized that from the beginning, activities in the time table were not observed, no forms, neither interest nor nomination were made available to the candidates despite the fact that some aspirants made payment to the party’s account.
They added that rather than do the right thing as stipulated by the constitution of the party, on the 30th of January, 2020, some groups of person appeared with heavily armed soldiers and policemen and affirmed persons hitherto published as candidates in contravention of the date for submission of list of candidates by political parties.