PDP’s last minute intrigues return Ayade as sole candidate

Cross River governorship aspirants have rejected their exclusion from the Peoples Democratic Party’ (PDP) primaries scheduled for today.

The PDP screening committee had screened and cleared Mr. Emmanuel Ibeshi to contest the primaries only to be disqualified, while Dr. Paul Udayi was not screened and was disqualified.

Both alleged that their disqualification was a deliberate plan by the party to return the incumbent, Senator Ben Ayade as the party’s sole candidate.

Ibeshi, who has been a strong critic of Ayade, said the screening exercise was a sham and so unacceptable, as what happened is an act of impunity, which he would challenge in court.

Already, Udayi has dragged the party to the state High Court over his exclusion from the screening and non-clearance to contest the primary.

Udayi, who was the first aspirant to pick expression of interest and nomination form to contest the state’s governorship election from PDP national secretariat in Abuja, filed a suit No: HC/408/2018 on September 26, 2018 by his counsels, Chris Onugba and Bassey Okon, claiming it was wrong for the party not to screen and clear him to contest the forthcoming governorship primaries.

The Publicity Secretary, PDP in Cross River, Mr. Egbung Odama, however, said he was unaware of the suit.