The Peoples’ Democratic Party, PDP, has commenced the screening of delegates for the Cross River State chapter Congress slated to hold on Saturday, 18th September, 2021.
The Screening, which started Friday afternoon at the PDP secretariat in Calabar, the capital of Cross River State, south-south Nigeria, was supervised by Ubaku Ugwunebo, the Head of Department, Election and Party Monitoring in the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC.
Voice of Nigeria observed that delegates for the congress, who constitute of executives across the 196 wards and 18 local government chapters in Cross River, were screened, cleared and accredited after presentation of valid identifications. View pictures below:
PDP members at the screening
Peaceful accreditation
Speaking to some newsmen in Calabar, the Chairman of the Accreditation Committee, Michael Usibe that the exercise, which started peacefully, would ensure that every statutory and ad hoc delegate participate in the state congress tomorrow.
“We expect a peaceful process tomorrow. All the contestants are trusted party members and believe in the party. The delegates here have the choice to make as to whom they desire to represent them at the state level.
“From what we have seen at the screening of delegates, tomorrow is going to be peaceful. There is no rancor here; every delegate has taken his or her place to do what is required without any disagreement,” he reiterated.
Usibe further said, “we expect that at least 98 delegates per local government for instance some local government areas have 10 wards while others have more than that number. So, based on the number of wards in a particularly local government area, we are expecting say about 1,800 to participate and vote for whoever they desire.”
On the venue for the congress since the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC state government turned down the applications for use of the U.J.Esuene Stadium or the Cultural Centre Complex, Usibe hinted that the party was able to secure another alternative venue for the voting exercise.
He added, “we have a lot of contestants; some have voluntarily withdrawn from the process like the chairmanship position, it is unopposed. The other contender has accepted to support Venatius Ikem and he stands unopposed for this congress.”
It could be recalled the National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, in a statement indicated that the National Working Committee of the PDP approved procedures for a fresh state congress in Cross River sequel to developments arising from the defection of Governor Ben Ayade to the APC.
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