The Chairman of Cross Rivers State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Venatius Ikem Esq has lamented the failure of the party to win the 2023 governorship election, attributing the loss to the party’s internal wrangling and disunity.
Ikom stated this during the PDP Stakeholders’ meeting that held at the Metropolitan Hotel in Calabar on Sunday.
The party chairman noted that the party contested the election with a divided house, thereby paving the way for the loss of key positions including the governorship seat.
“We went into an election with a divided house, and a divided house cannot stand. As a party, we’ve enjoyed unprecedented success and we took that for granted. This party remains strong at the grassroots. I take responsibility for the outcome of the last election, and the way things turned out.
“We’re going back to regig our party. We are going to put things in place. I am not proud to be a Chairman that lost elections in the state, but I’m proud that I come from a zone where we did a bit different.
“Let’s look beyond personal interests, there are challenges we need to overcome. We need to reason with each other. There’s still enthusiasm for the PDP and we will definitely bounce back,” he boasts.
Senator representing Northern Senatorial District, Senator Jarigbe Agom Jarigbe hailed the stakeholders of the party for keeping faith with the PDP despite its odds.
Agom maintained that the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) was not infallible, stressing however that the PDP must remain steadfast and also take advantage of the APC’s mistakes.
“I appreciate the enthusiasm of members of the party. I’ll like to encourage all of us. The only thing that is constant is change.
“APC took over due to the mistakes that we made. I do not think that the APC is infallible. The APC will definitely make same mistakes and pave way for us to take over,” Jarigbe stated.
In his remarks, governorship candidate of the PDP in the 2023 election, Prof. Sandy Onor asked the party faithful not to be deterred due to the loses it suffered in the election, assuring that that the party would bounce back.
He averred that the greatest glory was not in falling, but in rising again, adding that if the members can unite as it used to be in the past, there is possibility for the PDP to be great again.
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