Cross River PDP crisis deepens as aspirant heads to Supreme Court over party chair

A former national publicity secretary of the People’s Democratic (Party) and frontline chairmanship contestant in Cross River State chapter of the party, Venatius Ikem, has said he would approach the Supreme Court this week to challenge an Appeal Court judgement granting Governor Ben Ayade’s faction leeway to have one Alphonsus Eva as the new state chairman of the party without congress.

The Presiding Judge of the Appeal Court Calabar, Justice MS Owoade had on Friday delivered judgement in suit no; CA/C/386/2020, brought by the governor’s group, holding that the PDP rules and guidelines on election of its officials overrides whatever interferes with the election process.

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He said the Appeal Court finds the appeal by the group competent as the lower court which earlier delivered judgement “failed” to take into cognisance salient issues raised by the Appellant during initial hearing of the matter before delivering its judgement.

But in an interview, Venatius Ikem said, “I am proceeding to the Supreme Court to challenge my purported disqualification to contest for the chairmanship position.  This is against the Constitution of the party and clearly contrived by the governor’s faction. They cannot face me at the Congress.”

But Alphonsus Eva argued that Ikem had not met the terms to participate in the chairmanship election.