Cross River’s LG chairmen storm PDP hqts, want erring party members sanctioned

…..Insist Ayade is party’s leader

By Lateef Ibrahim, Abuja

The Peoples Democratic Party-elected Chairmen of all the eighteen local government areas of Cross River State have called for the sanctioning of erring members of the PDP in the state without any delay.
The Council chairmen have similarly tasked the national leadership of the PDP to set the necessary machinery in motion for the conduct the party’s state congress in Cross River.
The Chairmen, who stormed the ‘Wadata House’ national secretariat of the party in Abuja, yesterday, with their demands, were received on behalf of the PDP’s National Chairman, Prince Uche Secondus by the Deputy National Secretary, Dr Emmanuel Agbo.
Speaking through their leader and Chairman of Akpabuyo local government, Hon. Emmanuel Effiong Bassey, the council bosses equivocally described Governor Ben Ayade as the undisputed leader of the PDP in the State, pointing out that any other person, claiming to be such, is merely wasting his time.
A former Governor of the State, Senator Liyel Imhoke and Ayade are known to have been struggling for the control of the structure of the PDP in the state.
The local government chairmen insisted yesterday that Prof Ayade is the undisputed leader of the PDP in the state, stressing that anywhere he (the governor) goes, they will follow him.
Hon. Bassey, after presenting their demands/requests to the PDP national leadership, told journalists that any organisation or body without rules, may not succeed.
The leader and spokesperson of the council chairmen said, “We came for the purpose of our state, the state of affair of the party in our state, we met him (representative of the PDP national chairman) and we presented to him what we came with and he has honourably taken care of it.
“He has assured us that he is going to make sure that what we presented, what we came with, will be given immediate and urgent urgent attention.
“You must have known that in Cross River, the state Congress has not been held, and we did ask that that be done urgently. And he has assured us that that will be considered urgently.
“Apart from the state’s congress, you actually know that any organization that is without rules, may not succeed. And we have noticed, as local government Chairmen, executive chairmen, that there are some of our members that have erred and we are asking that disciplinary measures should be taken so as to put the party in a proper shape.
“Let me state here, categorically, that we are the pillars of the party in Cross River State, and these pillars were erected by Senator Prof. Ben Ayade.
“Let me state here categorically that we are the pillars of the party in Cross River State, and these pillars were erected by Senator Prof. Ben Ayade”, he said.Nigeria’s membership of IEC will facilitate FDI — Minister