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| 18 LG Chairmen from CRS during a visit to PDP's NWC |
Local government chairmen and councillors in Cross River have threatened to defect to the All Progressives Congress (APC) alongside Governor Ben Ayade if the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) fails to do the needful.
This threat was handed to the PDP on Tuesday when the Chairmen met with the National Working Committee (NWC) of the PDP in Abuja, GRASSROOT REPORTERS has learnt.
The leader of the delegation and Chairman of Akpabuyo Local Government Area, Hon. Emmanuel Bassey who handed over the petition to the party’s Deputy National Secretary, Dr. Emmanuel Agbo, called for immediate conduct of transparent congresses at all levels in the state.
Speaking shortly after the meeting, the Chairman of Calabar Municipal Council, Hon. Effiong Nta Eke demanded a fresh state congress to guarantee the return of party structures to the governor.
Hon. Eke said: “The governor is the leader of the party in the state. He should be given control of the party structures and this can only be done with a fresh congress.
“We are demanding a fresh congress. If not, where the Governor, Prof. Ben Ayade, goes, we will go with him. He is the leader of the party in the state.”
Commenting also, the leader of the delegation, Hon. Emmanuel Bassey said: “We are chairmen of the 18 local government councils in Cross River State. We came to meet the national chairman and we have met him, and he was ably represented by the Deputy National Secretary in the person of Dr. Emmanuel Agbo.
“We came for the purpose of our state; the state of affair of the party in our state; we met him and we presented to him what we came with and he has honourably taken care of it and has assured us that he is going to make sure that what we presented to the party and what we came with, will be given immediate and urgent attention.”
When he was asked to reveal the content of the petition presented, he said: “You guys must have known that the state congress has not been held, and we did ask that it be done urgently. And he has assured us that that will be considered urgently.
“For God’s sake, Prof. Ben Ayade is the party leader in Cross River State; he is the one that leads, just like every other governor in any PDP state. So, let us give him his due respect. Let it be given to him.
"Whatever equation he must have taken, I think is to a great extent it is for the goodness and betterment of the party.
“Let me state here categorically that we are the pillars of the party in Cross River State and these pillars were erected by Prof. Ben Ayade; so, if he goes, we go with him.”
The governor had lost the party's structure to the National Assembly Members from the state.
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