A Turaki-led faction of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Cross River State has insisted that Julius Udayi is the authentic governorship candidate of the party in the state, citing Thursday’s Court of Appeal judgment on the Osun State governorship candidature as support for its position.

Udayi, the factional PDP governorship candidate in Cross River, stated this on Friday while reading a statement at a press briefing held at the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) Press Centre, Calabar.

The faction said the Court of Appeal, sitting in Abuja on Thursday, upheld the nomination of Adebayo Olugbenga Adedamola as the authentic PDP governorship candidate for the Osun State election.

It said the court also directed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to immediately include the PDP logo on the ballot for the Osun election scheduled for tomorrow.

According to the faction, the judgment affirmed the legitimacy of the Tanimu Turaki-led PDP, from which it claimed Udayi was nominated and presented as the party’s governorship candidate in Cross River State, alongside other candidates in his team.

Udayi said the development was necessary to correct what he described as a “wrong narrative” created by individuals allegedly parading themselves as PDP candidates in the state.

The faction accused the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, and a faction led by Senator Sandy Onoh of engaging in activities capable of undermining peace in Cross River.

It urged security agencies, particularly the state’s Chief Security Officer, to investigate what it described as continuing parallel political activities by the Wike-led faction, warning that such activities could trigger violence if not checked.

The briefing came a day after the Abdulrahman- led group of the PDP in the state also addressed journalists at the same NUJ Press Centre,

Udayi maintained that those opposed to the Turaki-led leadership of the PDP were acting outside the party’s authentic structure, alleging that some individuals were being used for what he described as “presidential experimentation” in Cross River State.

He appealed to Cross Riverians to continue to support the Turaki-led PDP, saying the faction remained committed to moving the state forward.