The controversy surrounding Venatius Ikem’s potential second term as Cross River State PDP chairman has sparked intense debate.
A group which operates under the aegis of Grassroots Democratic Alliance (GDA) has defended Ikem’s bid, dismissing opposition from the Southern Senatorial District Caucus as desperate politicians who allegedly sold out to opposition interests.
The group praised Ikem’s proven track record in public service, emphasizing that his tenure extension followed due process.
A statement signed by GDA chairman, Effiom Bassey, and secretary Mr. Ntui Agbor, dismissed the caucus’s rejection of Barr. Venatius Ikem as the work of desperate politicians who sold their birth rights for a plate of porridge in the last elections and can never again be trusted with the soul of the PDP.
The GDA accused the Southern Senatorial District Caucus of lacking credibility, highlighting their alleged involvement with the ruling government through the ADC platform.
The GDA describes Ekawu as an “ADC-sponsored impostor” with a history of contesting and losing elections, questioning his suitability to lead the PDP in Cross River State.
The GDA disputes the legitimacy of the Southern Senatorial District Caucus, citing the absence of mainstream leaders and accusing them of being a “drowning cartel surviving on political horse trading”.
Senator Gershom Bassey, a key figure in the PDP, is said to have previously dissociated himself from a purported endorsement of a consensus candidate for the Southern Senatorial District, questioning the process and legitimacy of the meeting.
The group described the caucus as “a gathering of a drowning cartel surviving on political horse trading whose time has expired.”
“This was a meeting of PDP members who have since declared for ADC. They are no longer part of the party and have isolated themselves from legitimate structures,” GDA stated.
The group concluded by insisting that the PDP’s future cannot be entrusted to those who betrayed the party and abandoned their duty to strengthen it as a credible opposition.
