Judex Okoro, Calabar
It started like the usual party politics characterised by intrigues, mudslinging and cacophony of voices. Then it would dovetail into series of caucus meetings to resolve contending issues and then finally the gladiators would say “as one family, we have resolved to work to deliver the party.”
That was how the Cross River PDP once prided as an “indivisible one family” used to say after horse-trading, leading to consensus. But 20 years after, politics of the ruling party in the state has taken a dangerous pattern. Many believe that the hitherto indomitable PDP in the state has been torn apart and the centre can no longer hold as the Governor Ben Ayade and the National Assembly members are in a fight to finish.
Since taking over the mantle of leadership in the last five years, Governor Ayade has not hidden his intention to take over the leadership of the entire party structure from ward to state levels. To him, time has come for him to build his own structures like his predecessors so as to also call the shots even after leaving office. And so in 2015 state congresses, he took control of party structure at all levels to the utter dismay and consternation of other critical stakeholders.
And in 2020 primaries to elect party chairmanship and councillorship candidates, he again took control even after some aspirants, elected members of the state, National Assembly members and other senior members of the party raised the alarm over the alleged hijack of the election by the governor and his loyalists.
A cursory look at the list showed that majority of the stakeholders lost out in the power game as they claimed that those perceived to be close to any National Assembly member and some former senior party elected officers were all shut out in the process. A source close to the former Deputy Governor confided in Daily Sun that the number two man begged that one of his boys be allowed to contest as local government chairman, but the powers-that-be turned down his request.
Piqued by the blatant disregard for the rules of the game, 13 aspirants in their petition dated February 3, 2020, and titled ‘protest against the undemocratic selection of chairmanship candidates for the forth-coming local government council election in Cross River’ insisted that the primary election was a ruse and should be discarded by the national secretariat.
The aspirants include Godwin Offiono, Boniface Odey (all Yala), Naku John and Sunday Igbaji (all from Ogoja), Ikpi Ubana Eyong Yakurr, Nelson Ofem (all from Yakurr), Obi Stephen Owan (Etung) and Orok Bassey Duke (Odukpani). Others are Theophilus Abri (Obubra), Iwaasam Adaga (Abi), Francis Ekeng (Calabar South), Ekeng Efiom Edet (Akpabuyo) and Christopher Ekpo (Calabar Municipality.
The titanic battle begins
The development never went down well with other party stakeholders, who felt that politics is a game of interest, hence, their various interests must also be protected else they would be politically asphyxiated.
Therefore, when the National Working Committee, NWC, of PDP blew the beagle for the 2020 congresses to elect the new executives from ward to national levels, party bigwigs and their followers discreetly traversed the length and breadth of their wards and chapters holding nocturnal political meetings, strategising on who and who to elect into these party offices ahead of 2023 election.
Since then, it has been a ding-dong battle over who controls the structures of the party between Governor Ben Ayade and the stakeholders made up of National Assembly members, founding fathers of the party, senior citizens, former elected and appointed members as well as former council chairman and councilors. From then on, the party became factionalised into two fronts- Ayade versus the Abuja group.
While Ayade group bought forms for their loyalists into the executive committees of the party from the ward, local government and state and bankrolled their expenses, the Abuja group equally bought forms for their own followers who were interested in the various offices from ward to state and ensured they were all screened in accordance with the provisions of the party electoral guidelines.
Besides, while the governor’s faction led by the state party chairman, Ntufam Edim Inok, commissioners and numerous aides, stated unequivocally that the governor should hold sway by dictating the pace as done by former Governors Donald Duke and Sen Liyel Imoke because every incumbent governor is the leader of the party, the stakeholders coordinated by Comrade Raymond Takon, disagree and insist that it should be a total party affair where members should make input on who leads the party at all levels to reduce much rancour and acrimony as well as endless recriminations. To Takon, they want institutionalising of internal democracy to avoid the mistake of 2015 where the party threw caution to the winds and subsequently paid dearly for it.
But the bubble was said to have burst when some members of the party interested in contesting for wards, local governments, state and national offices could not have access to the forms at the party secretariat as the forms were not available just as party leaders disappeared from the secretariat, thereby forcing some of them to travel to party secretariat in Abuja to buy the forms.
Some party executive members confided in Daily Sun that most of them didn’t site the forms and added that the sales of forms was one of the ways of generating revenues for the party, engender grassroots politicking and re-build relationship with aspirants.
They disclosed that the governor’s group went to Abuja and collected forms for all offices and came back and distributed it to their loyalists just as the chairman sidelined some of them in the arrangement, thereby rendering them politically irrelevant.
However, sources close to the national secretariat revealed that spirited efforts were made to reconcile the warring factions but to no avail as both parties were not ready to shift grounds, but it was agreed then that those who don’t have access to the forms at state level can buy the forms at the national secretariat and submit same.
The source added that the national leadership expressed worry at the level of disunity and in-fighting among members from Cross River and advised them to play by the rules of the game as the party has vowed to conduct free and fair congresses in accordance with the party guidelines to avoid factionalisation at state levels which could be suicidal ahead of 2023.
Based on the decision, a good number of aspirants to various offices went to Abuja and bought their forms, filled and returned same to Abuja.
But the source further revealed that the Governor’s faction were not happy with the decision of the national leadership to sell forms to members from Cross River intending to run for party offices because it was undermining the governor as the leader of the party in the state.
NWC releases authentic ward, local executive committee members’ list
In fulfillment of its promise to ensure that the right thing was done during the congresses held across the country, the national leadership of the party was said to have carefully considered the case of 26 states including Cross River and subsequently released it to their various states’ chairmen for prompt action.
In a letter dated April 26, 2020 and signed by the national organising secretary, Col Austin Akobundu (retd), the party released the approved authentic list for ward and local government executives for all the 196 wards and 18 local government councils.
The letter in part read: “After giving a careful consideration of the reports of the Electoral Committee and the Appeal Panel, the National Working Committee, NWC, on behalf of the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the party, approved the said congresses and the executive committees emerging therefrom.
“You are therefore by this correspondence, directed to take necessary and appropriate steps to inaugurate the new executive officers in accordance with the provisions of Section 65 of our party’s constitution as amended in 2017.
“In doing this, you’re please advised to also take into proper account the provisions of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) guidelines of Covid-19 as it concerns social distancing and the gathering of people in one place.
“This shall be the new exco members at the expiration of the current executives, i.e. April 30, 2020 for Ward and May 05, 2020 for LGA, and shall hold office for a period of four (4) years pursuant to Section 47(1) of our party’s constitution as amended (i.e. April 30, 2020 – April 30, 2024 for ward executives; and May 05, 2020 – May 05, 2024 for LGA Executives).
“Accordingly, I hereby forward to you the authentic list of the ward and local government executives for all the 196 wards and 18 LGAs of your state as contained in the attached lists of names of approved ward and local government exco members,” the statement added.
The statement further directed the state party chairman, Ntufam Edim Inok Edim, to inaugurate the new executive officers in accordance with the provisions of section 65 of the party constitution as amended in 2017.
Following the directive, the ward executive committee members in Cross River State were inaugurated in 196 wards on Thursday, April 30, 2020. They were sworn-in by a Notary Public, Okimasi Ojong, Esq, principal partner of Barr Okimasi Ojong and Co, in accordance with the provisions of Section 65 of the PDP Constitution as amended in 2017.
In a letter dated April 30, 2020 and addressed to the party through the State Legal Adviser, Okimasi said; “Kindly be informed that upon submission of the duly completed oath of office and oath of allegiance form today Thursday, 30th April 2020 by 7:30am and in line with the provisions of Section 65 of the Peoples Democratic Party, the newly elected ward executive officers of your party whose names were verified and contained in a letter with reference N0. PDP/DOM/GF.V/VOL.2/20-387B are admitted to Oath and therefore sworn in already to function in their various offices.”
The Notary Public noted that in view of the ravaging pandemic, Covid-19, the concerned ward executives are to print and fill the Oath of Office and Oath of allegiance as it appeared in your party Constitution.
He added that only ward executives officers who submit his/her oath of office and oath of allegiance on or before 7:30 am on Thursday, 30th April 2020 is technically deemed to have sworn before me in view of the various rules, regulation, protocols and laws regulating gathering and social distancing protocol.
State party chairman take a swipe at national leadership
But shortly after the inauguration, the state leadership of the PDP under Ntufam Edim Inok, Ntufam Edim, discredited the list from the national body.
Ntufam Edim, while addressing journalists at the party secretariat, said that the National Chairman of the party, Prince Uche Secondus, has denied the list, hence he cannot go ahead to inaugurate the EXCO, adding that they have been served with court injunction by aggrieved members who have gone to court restraining us from inaugurating the executive at ward and local government levels.
In its place, the state leadership released another list to social media and general public claiming that it was sent to them from the same national secretariat, an indication that there are parallel ward and local government executive committee members.
But in a swift reaction, the PDP National Orgainsisng, Col. Austin Akobundu (rtd), in a statement dated May 1, 2020 and titled “Disclaimer”, and made available to journalists in Calabar, denied sending any other list/document to Cross River State other than the initial list sent on Monday April 27, 2020, with Ref Number: PDP/DOM/GF.V/Vol.2/20-387B.”
It reads in part: “While we do not want to join issues with the authors of this forged document, the Directorate of Organization and Mobilization of the Peoples Democratic Party wishes to disown this forged document in its entirety and urge all our party members, stakeholders and party faithful to discountenance it.
“We stand by the initial authentic list of the ward and local government executives for all the 196 wards and 18 LGAs of Cross River State as contained in the attached lists of names of ward and LGA exco members approved by the National Working Committee (NWC) of our great party, which was done after giving careful consideration to the reports of the Electoral Committee and the Appeal Panel.”
Further discountenancing the second list, the party said: “For the avoidance of doubt, this document in circulation on the social media is forged, as our document has more than ten distinguishing features, which are completely absent in the forged circulating version. Besides, the party’s original document has page numbers for control purposes as in (1 of 217). The forged document does not.”
It disclosed that while the “original party document has reference number as: PDP/DOM/GF.V/Vol.2/20- 387B (B stands for bulk, since all states get the same letter with same reference number), the forged document has PDP/DOM/GF.V/Vol.2/20-377B;