Wike no longer party member, can’t decide what happens in Cross River — PDP
He also criticised what he described as the poor accountability record of some elected representatives from the state, linking Cross River’s governance setbacks and infrastructural decline to past leadership choices.
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Wike no longer party member, can’t decide what happens in Cross River — PDP
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Cross River State has declared that Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, is no longer recognised as a member of the party and therefore lacks the authority to influence its internal affairs.
This position was made clear by the Chairman of the party’s Caretaker Committee in the state, Bassey Eko Ewa, while addressing journalists in Calabar amid controversies surrounding the recent state congress that produced the Venatius Ikem-led executive.
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Ewa, a former Speaker of the Cross River State House of Assembly, accused Wike of meddling in the state’s PDP structure in collaboration with the party’s National Secretary, Senator Samuel Anyanwu. He claimed the duo backed a disputed parallel congress held two weeks ago and allegedly supported the party’s 2023 governorship candidate, Professor Sandy Onor, in attempts to destabilise the party.
“Wike is an outsider. We cannot allow someone who is no longer part of the PDP to dictate what happens in Cross River State,” Ewa asserted.
He also criticised what he described as the poor accountability record of some elected representatives from the state, linking Cross River’s governance setbacks and infrastructural decline to past leadership choices.
Ewa further condemned the recurring trend of defections among elected officials, saying such instability weakens party structures. He urged politicians to emulate President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who, according to him, stayed in opposition for years without switching parties before eventually becoming President.
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Responding to claims that he and some associates had defected to the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Ewa admitted that while a few members had previously considered alternative options, they had now resolved to rebuild the PDP from within.
Reaffirming his loyalty, he said:
“Our constitution prescribes how to leave the party. We have been in PDP since 1998 and remain committed to its ideals.”
