Cross River: We’ll get back our secretariat – PDP Chairman

The PDP Caretaker Committee Chairman of Cross River state, Efiok Cobham, Esq, has stated that the party would get back their seized secretariat from Governor Ben Ayade of APC.
Ayade had defected to the ruling APC on Thursday, May 20, 2021 and at the early hours of Saturday, May 22, 2021 the APC took over the PDP secretarait with armed policemen.
Cobham, who stated this at the PDP stakeholders meeting held in Calabar on Sunday, said it was shocking to wake up and then see our party secretarait we rented since 1999 to be taken over by a ribak party.
The former Deputy Governor durong Sen Liyel Imoke’s administration, expressed concern at the development saying it is capable of generating crises and called on security agents to leave their secretarait.
He said: “We are still the occupant of the property because we paid for it and we will get it back. We dont want problem so we plead they return our office to us.
“We are a democratic party and would follow all Democratic processes to recover our property and our documents there in. And we commend our members for their patience and endurance amid the troubles. We also state that we are not in hurry to cede Cross River to APC.”
Speaking, a member of PDP Board of Trustee, BoT, Prof Stella Attoe, said she is impressed at the large turn out to the stakeholders’s meeting, adding that what has happened has made it possible for the owners of the party to take back their party.
She said all efforts are on to reposition the party and take it back to the grassroots.
Also speaking, the senator representing Southern Senatorial district, Gershom Bassey, said PDP belongs to everybody and has built people from scratch and so anybody who wants to pocket the party would not succeed, adding that PDP shall continue to speak truth to the power at state and federal levels.
For the senator representing Central senatorial district, Sandy Onor, said:”We are not afraid of what is happening in the state because we have confronted it form the outset. We cannot be reduced to food-on-the-table state.
“The movement to APC is completely personal and I can say it is the most irresponsible to defect and turn around to seize our secretariat. We are returning the party to you. And we must follow all democratic processes fro. Ward to state levels.”
On his part, the House of Representative member for Ogoja/Yala fedrral constituency, Jarigbe Agom Jarigbe, said: “I have been vindicated because I have been at the frore-front and I waited for this day. We shall not take the defection for granted. We shall consolidate.
“The food on the table is a bad slogan because it has been there in the state. Then, our institutions were working and we empowered people without holding a political offices or appointees. We have made a mistake, but we have to correct it now.”
The stakeholders meeting was attended by party leaders from wards and local governments and thousands of party faithful across the state.
Other notable stakeholders present at the meeting include the leader and former Governor, Sen Liyel Inoke, Reps Essien Ayi (Calabar South/Akpabuyo/Bakassi); Etta Mbora (Odukpani/Calabar Municipality), Chris Agibe (Ikom/Boki) Daniel Asuquo (Akamkpa/Biase), some.members of the state house of Assembly, commissioners and Special Advisers, Emmanuel Ibeshi, former National Publicty Secretary, as well as members of the newly- inaugurated caretaker committee.