PDP conducts Congress in Cross River, returns lkem as Chairman 

From Ene Asuquo, Calabar

The Cross River State chapter of the People’s Democratic party (PDP) has conducted its Congress amidst heavy security presence at the Venetian event Center in Calabar re-electing Venatious Ikem as its  state party chairman.

Ikem was returned as the State party chairman after securing 1,501 votes from a total of 1,541 accredited voters to defeat his opponent Tim Ekawu.

Meanwhile, Mr. Polycap Effiom emerged deputy State Vice chairman of the party after he scored 1,497 votes, while Mr Chris Edadi also emerged as the State financial Secretary 

The Congress had a total of 39 officers who were elected into various offices as leaders of  the party at the State level to pilot the affairs of the Party in the next four years

Present at the Congress to monitor the conduct of the election was the INEC REC in cross river state Johnson Alalibo. 

Shortly after the exercise, the newly elected Chairman of PDP in the State assured members of the party of his  willingness and readiness to take back power from the rulling All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state come 2027.

His words, ‘my team and I, will return Cross River back to the PDP”.

He continued; “we must have made mistakes as a party in the past, this is an opportunity for us to correct whatever mistake that we made”, he maintained.

The election was supervised by National officers, with Rt. Hon Jones Onyereri, as the returning officer for the exercise who urged the newly state officers to work hard, and put the party on a good pedestal.

In his remarks, former Governorship candidate of PDP in the 2023 elections, Senator Sandy Onor, asked the Party in the state to unite and make the members to be under one umbrella that the PDP used to be. 

Onor said ” We are stronger Together”, asking all party men and women to come together in order to retrieve power from the rulling APC”.

Also speaking was the Senator representing the Northern Senatorial district of cross river state, at the National Assembly, Sen.Jarigbe Agom Jarigbe described exercise as binding and legitimate.

According to Jarigbe, “the Congress was calm and very organized, the process followed our party’s constitution and cannot be changed”, he maintained.