10 August 2020
The member representing Ogoja/Yala Federal Constituency in the National Assembly, Rt. Hon. Jarigbe Agom has warned members of the National Working Committee of the People Democratic Party to desist from tempering with the authentic list of the Ward and Local Government executives of the party in the state, saying that such action may lead to total collapse of the party in the state NEGROIDHAVEN can say.
Agom, who spoke with newsmen in Calabar after the State Congress was postponed by the NWC, said he suspect that the Legal Adviser of the party has compromised.
He said that the congresses were held and the list of the winners was ratified by the NWC which gave the winners the mandate to resume work.
"The NWC can make or mar the fortunes of the party. Right now, there is a crisis in the NWC because of what has happened in CRS. The NWC ratified the list of the panel that was sent to conduct the Chapter and ward exco congresses in the state.
"But there was a turn of event when the Governor went to them and complained that he was not comfortable with the list and they tried to distort it. They are trying to arm twist us to talk of harmonisation in a process that has already been completed and we all saw the timetable of the publication that ward and chapter congresses in Cross River State have been completed and that received the endorsement of the NWC. At this point, we will not support them in any way.
"They have been an injunction restraining the party at the National level from distorting the list pending the determination of the motion of notice on interlocutory injunction and that has not been taken. So there is a subsisting order. I hear that the faction in CRS is shopping for another order to restrain the party from dealing with the legal list. But it has no bearing because there is a subsisting order.
"If the list is distorted, that would be a total collapse of PDP in Cross River State. I say that on good authority.
"If the list of Chapter and ward exco is distorted, there will be legal issues. The tenure of the ward and Chapter exco is already running. You must follow a legal process to remove them. I totally feel that the National Legal Adviser of the party is advising the NWC wrongly", he said.
He said that as a person, he was not happy when the Stat Congress was postponed, adding that they spent so much coming down and putting the necessary logistics in place for a free and fair contest.
With had a series of events which culminated into the postponement of the congress. The truth be told, PDP is fictionalised in Cross River State and It is not unconnected with the high handedness of the leadership of the party in the state and I will say that if the situation is not cured, PDP will not be descent in Cross River State again.
"A house divided against itself cannot stand. We are not together in the PDP in Northern Senatorial District; there is a serious faction and if that is not also cured, I don't think PDP will be the party to beat in the Senatorial bye election.
"So, the choice is that of the leadership to make between winning the election and losing the election. If the ticket of the PDP is shield and given to a particular faction out of sentiment, then we will be in trouble because there is a lot or resentment among our people," he said.
He advised the leadership of the party to take a decision that is favourable to all and look at where the majority of the people stand.
"We are in a Democracy, we are not in a military regime where we can coerce people, we should be allowed to speak our minds.
"Anyone who bevahes as if the party is his personal enterprise will have the people revolting against such act. People cannot allow themselves to be arm twisted.
"When Ben Ayade wanted to run for Senate, we used to enjoy some level of cordiality and when he started nursing the ambition to become governor, he hardly had people outside of his enclave supporting his ambition and alot of them were sceptical; but I was at the forefront of drumming support for the governor because I saw him as the highest political office holder from the North and he was a sitting Senator at the time.
"But at a point, I think there was this decision to decimate alot of us from the political line. When we asked why, it metamorphose into all of these. For instance, in my ward, there was an attempt to tactically take everybody that has anything to do with me and bring in people from where ever they brought them from to take over the structures of the ward.
"I know the governor brother called me to nominate one person from my ward into the ward executive and when I put a call across to the governor, he said "I have asked them to give you one person in your ward. It was humiliating and I perceived the level of arrogance. It has never happened in this state; that can only come from someone who want to destroy the party," he added.
On whether Gov. Nyesom Wike was behind the NASS members from the state, the Lawmaker said that Wike is a man of honour who is too busy adding value to the lifes of his people in Rivers State to be linked with what is going on in Cross River State.
"I dont see Gov. Wike as that kind of a person. He is one of those I can rightly refer to as a fulcrum of PDP in this country. We have never met with Wike in any of these and in will advice we put ourselves together and deal with what is before us now.
"We have gone past the ward and Chapter list. The winners have started working and selling this party already. I dont know what legitimacy that we have to rectify that list. There is alot we have to do as a party. Nobody will act as dictator in the party," he said.
He said that the PDP government has presence in the state due to the laudable projects that have been influenced by the National Assembly members, adding that he has facilitated projects to all the 24 wards in his Constituency.
"I have 24 wards and I have facilitated projects to all the wards in my Federal Constituency and I stand to be corrected. The Wanihem electrification project is at my instance, all the boreholes in the 24 wards in my Federal Constituency was facilitated by me including the buildings in the various schools, solar street light among many others.
He adviced his constituents to be calm in the fourth coming Senate bye election as they look up to the party to fill in a candidate who will be selfless and who will bring in the needed dividends of democracy to the people.
