Several members of the Cross River State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, are still in shock, after the national headquarters of the party approved and released yesterday, April 26, 2020, a list of new ward and local government Executive Committee members for the 196 wards and 18 LGAs in the state.
The list contained in a letter with reference number, PDP/DOM/GF.V/VOL 2/20-387B, addressed to Edim Inok Edim, state party chairman and signed by Austin Akobundu, National Organising Secretary of the PDP, who also copied state governor, Ben Ayade, specifically maintained that “Party, after giving careful consideration to the reports of the Electoral Committee and the Appeal Panel, has, on behalf of the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the Party, approved the said Congresses and the Executive Committees emerging therefrom.” It further maintained that, this list is “the authentic list…” for the 196 wards and 18 LGAs.
“While this list is believed to be a far cry from what state governor, Ben Ayade, expected, considering his visible efforts at hijacking the list, what this list represents is the collective political resilience of several well meaning persons bent on making sure that, not only is the proper thing done, Ayade as a person, will not be allowed to pocket the party in CRS, politically spoon feed himself and then share the bread crumbs among a corps of political leeches, desperately hanging around him and looking for opportunities to feast on our commonwealth”, one source in Abuja told www.calitown.com
We also gathered that, while the list has direct consequences, especially, for the ambition of the governor, hoping to return to the Senate in 2023, national assembly members from the state who mostly reside in Abuja, appear to have finally put their foot and numbers through the door to stamp in their political relevance and survival after the governor has severally taken and implemented political decisions without consulting or considering them. One lawmaker in Abuja who has elected to remain anonymous, volunteered that, ” things are so bad that our governor can make and project somebody from my own council ward as councillor without the political modesty of even seeking my opinion. You mean that when the people who voted me in and sent me to Abuja, have a political decision to take, our governor must deliberately exclude me from attendant processes? Is it politically expedient? Must he play God?
We were unable to speak with state party chairman, Edim Inok Edim, or the governor’s camp at press time.
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