The governor of Cross River, Senator Liyel Imoke, who moved the seat of government to the national secretariat of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) in protest against the November 1 ward congress elections held in the state, is expected back in Calabar yesterday, 14th Nov. Barring any last minute change of plan, Imoke is expected to make a state-wide broadcast announcing his decampment along with his “PDP Family” members to the All Progressives Congress(APC) as well as comment on allegations leveled against him by his predecessor, Mr. Donald Duke, at a recent public forum. However, impeccable sources within the Imoke confidants, say he may “only carry a handful of his remaining supporters as many have become wise to the fact that his ship is fast sinking and have therefore jettisoned him.” The governor and the chairman of the party in the state, Ntufam John Achort Okon had, shortly after the ward congresses, announced their satisfaction with the outcome of the exercise, describing it as free and fair. However, when it became obvious that the result was actually not in their favour, Imoke moved the entire machinery of government to Abuja, lobbying to get the national secretariat to upturn the result of the exercise. Sources disclosed that Imoke lost the battle of getting the national secretariat to cancel the results of the ward congresses, even after he had attempted to lobby them with the sum of N500 million, which was outrightly rejected as the officials who conducted the exercise in the state insisted that the results turned in were authentic. Not even the intervention of a high ranking chieftain of the party from the South-South zone could turn things in his favour against the will of the electorates. The bribe attempt has been denounced by civil servants in the state as a misplaced priority, especially as they are yet to be paid their October salaries, midway into another month. Sources at the treasury disclosed that N100 million cash was withdrawn from the state’s salary account during the Abuja trip. The irony of the situation is that even when the governor was in Abuja trying to get his way, major stakeholders of the party, made up of the 18 local government council chairmen, House of Assembly members, some governorship aspirants and chapter chairmen of the PDP had, in a communiqué at the end of a meeting they held, applauded the governor for superintending over a free and fair ward congress across the state, frowning at any attempt to effect an alteration. The governor, we learnt, was irked at the action of the stakeholders and has called them to order. Unfortunately, the state-owned media outfits and some national dailies had reported the story conspicuously. As usual, the state chairman of the party is at the receiving end of the governor’s wrath for not perfecting the art of putting the party’s and governor’s interests in order, “by hook or by crook.” It was gathered that the chairman was threatened with a sack from his juicy position should the national secretariat of the party fail to reverse the result in their favour. Some loyalists of the governor have been making derogatory statements about the leadership of the party at the national level on account of their refusal to do Imoke’s bidding. They accused the national secretariat of taking side with some aspirants. Provoked by this ugly accusation, the national secretariat of the party directed the closure of the party’s secretariat in the state. As at the time of filing this report, the Murtala Mohammed Road secretariat is still under lock and key, with security men keeping watch. On interrogation, one of them revealed that they were under strict instructions not to allow anyone, not even the chairman, enter into the building
Posted on: Sun, 16 Nov 2014 21:34:16 +0000
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