By Ismaeel Aleem
A faction of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Cross River State has declared that the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, is no longer a recognised member of the party and thus cannot meddle in its internal affairs.
The pronouncement escalates ongoing rifts within the state chapter, amid disputes over a recent congress that installed a rival executive.
Bassey Ewa, the factional Chairman of the PDP’s Caretaker Committee and a former Speaker of the Cross River State House of Assembly, made the assertion during a press briefing in Calabar on Monday.
Ewa accused Wike, in league with PDP National Secretary Samuel Anyanwu, of orchestrating the controversial state congress held two weeks ago, which produced the Venatius Ikem-led executive.
He further alleged Wike’s backing of the party’s 2023 governorship candidate, Professor Sandy Onor, as evidence of undue external influence.
“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 declared, urging party loyalists to resist such interventions.
His remarks come against a backdrop of factional infighting that has paralysed PDP activities in the oil-rich South-South state.
Ewa lambasted the lack of accountability among some elected representatives from Cross River, attributing the state’s woes rampant infrastructure decay and poor governance to misguided leadership selections in previous cycles.
He decried the scourge of frequent defections by politicians, which he said erodes party structures and fosters instability.
“Politicians should emulate President Bola Tinubu, who remained in opposition for years without switching parties until he became president,” Ewa advised, positioning steadfast loyalty as a hallmark of principled politics.
Addressing rumours that he and his associates had defected to the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Ewa acknowledged past explorations of alternatives but affirmed their renewed resolve to revitalise the PDP.
“Our constitution prescribes how to leave the party. We have been in PDP since 1998 and remain committed to its ideals,” he stressed, vowing to rebuild from within.
The faction’s hardline stance on Wike, a former PDP governor of Rivers State now aligned with the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), highlights deepening national divisions within the opposition PDP.
Wike’s influence has been a flashpoint since his fallout with PDP presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar in 2023, leading to multiple state-level schisms.
