Why PDP lost 2023 gov poll in Cross River — Chairman

The chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party in Cross River State, Venatius Ikem Esq, has lamented the failure of the party to clinch victory in the 2023 governorship election.

He attributed the failure of the PDP at the poll to the party’s internal wrangling and disunity.

Ikem revealed this during the PDP’s stakeholders meeting which took place at the Metropolitan Hotel, Calabar, on Sunday.

The PDP chairman stressed that the party went into the election with a divided house, paving the way for the loss it suffered in the election, including the loss in key positions.

“We went into an election with a divided house, and a divided house can not stand. As a party, we’ve enjoyed unprecedented success and we took that for granted.

“This party remains strong at the grassroots. I take responsibility for the outcome of the last election and the way things turned out.

“We’re going back to rejig our party. We are going to put things in place. I am not proud to be a chairman who lost elections in the state, but I am proud that I come from a zone where we did a bit differently.

“Let’s look beyond personal interests, there are challenges we need to overcome. We need to reason with one another. There’s still enthusiasm for the PDP and we will definitely bounce back.”

The senator representing Cross River North senatorial district, Senator Jarigbe Jarigbe, hailed stakeholders of the party for keeping faith with the party despite all odds.

Jarigbe maintained that the ruling All Progressives Congress was not infallible, stressing that the PDP must remain steadfast and also take advantage of APC mistakes.

“I appreciate the enthusiasm of members of the party. I want to encourage all of us, the only constant thing is change.

“The APC took over due to the mistakes that we made. I do not think that the APC is infallible. The APC will make the same mistakes and pave the way for us to take over,” he said.

In his remarks, the PDP governorship candidate in the 2023 election, Prof. Sandy Onor, asked the party faithful not to be deterred due to the losses it suffered in last year’s governorship election, assuring them that that the party would certainly bounce back to its feet again.