The Peoples Democratic Party state congress commenced on Saturday in Calabar amid heightened security presence, drawing over 1,000 delegates to the Venetian Arena, the venue of the event.
This follows a recent development earlier in the week when the PDP National Working Committee announced a postponement of the congress and dissolved the existing state working committee, citing the expiration of its tenure.
Despite this, the Venatius Ikem-led SWC rejected the directive, asserting that the NWC lacked the authority to stop the congress and insisted that the exercise must proceed as planned.
Delegates from all 18 local government areas of Cross River State gathered for the congress, which was officially declared open by the Chairman of the Electoral Panel, Hon. Jones Chukwudi.
In his address, Chukwudi assured party members of a credible and transparent process.
“We already have a harmonized list of candidates, so we expect the process to be seamless. However, in compliance with our constitution and guidelines, there will still be voting after accreditation, local government by local government,” he stated.
Chukwudi, who led a seven-member electoral panel, also expressed appreciation to the state party leadership for what he described as a warm and brotherly reception. He emphasized that the congress should not be viewed as a platform for internal conflict but as part of broader preparations for future electoral challenges.
To reinforce transparency, he promised delegates that the original result sheets and ballot papers would be presented prior to the commencement of voting to demonstrate that no materials had been tampered with.
In his own remarks, the Committee Secretary, Hon. TJ Yusuf, urged delegates and aspirants to treat the exercise as a united family affair, encouraging peaceful conduct throughout the process.
“It is natural for people to desire good things, and so contests are bound to happen. But we must remember this is a family affair and conduct ourselves with peace and love,” Yusuf said.
As of press time, accreditation of delegates was ongoing, with party leaders preparing to address the gathering. Officials expressed optimism that the congress would be concluded within hours and hoped it would further consolidate party unity in the state.
