23 disqualified as threats, confusion surround PDP primaries in C/River

The much awaited Cross River PDP governorship primaries holds at the UJ Esuene Stadium Calabar with the incumbent, Prof Ben Ayade clearly favoured to win.

Already,  all likely threats from popular aspirants have been effectively nibbed in the mud.

The other aspirants, especially Mr Emmaniel Ibeshi, pioneer national publicity secretary of PDP was yesterday morning disqualified by the PDP screening committee.

This followed alleged inducement, according to other contenders.

As at Saturday morning, three other governorship contenders who posed a threat to the incumbent were disqualified.

16 House of Representatives aspirants were also disqualified. Four Senatorial aspirants were disqualified. This has left the stage for the very few considered as the governor’s favourite who are most likely to go as automatic candidate as earlier directed by the governor.

Such senatorial aspirants, for instance, include the incumbent Rose Oko, who represents the Cross River northern senatorial district. The other is Gershom Basset who represents the southern district at the Senate.  Senator John Owan-Enoh who represents the Central district on the platform of the APC is gunning for the governor’s seat.

Addressing the press yesterday on his disqualification, Ibeshi, the former national publicity secretary of PDP, said the screening committee was given a “devious agenda”.

“This committee was given a devious agenda, which was to disqualify all aspirants contesting for the gubernatorial ticket for Cross River State, thus leaving the incumbent, Sent Ben Ayade as the only aspirant. We understand that Ayade was particularly irked that he was the only governor in the South-South zone facing opposition in the primaries for the party ticket. Obedient to the devious instruction, the zonal screening committee disqualified all aspirants except Gov Ayade.”

Ibeshi plans to challenge his disqualification and accused the zonal screening committee of being compromised.

“There is no valid grounds for my disqualification, and I have been provided no such ground. Indeed there HSS been no attempt by the party to justify or even explain its action in cancelling the clearance certificate earlier issued to me to contes the elections. I was never informed of any allegations against me that justify the withdrawal of the clearance certificate issued to me.