By Akanimo Felix
The Peoples Democratic Party in Cross River State, has suspended the State party’s Chairman Venatius Ikem Esq over alleged Anti-Party Activities.
The suspension, effective immediately, was announced on Friday in Cross River State, following a meeting of the State Executive Committee, comprising of all states chapter chairmen forum.
During a briefing on Friday with journalists at the party’s Secretariat in Calabar, Igwe Godwin Chapter Chairman of Obubra and Chairman of the Forum, explained the decision.
According to him, Venatius suspension is due to alleged anti-party activities, bothering on lack of leadership qualities, misappropriation of funds and other offences considered detrimental to the party’s image and interests.
He stated that in accordance with relevant sections of the PDP Constitution, the State Executive Committee exercised its authority to suspend Venatius.
Additionally, Igwe stated that the Committee has appointed the Vice chairman North, Chief Austin Edibe, as acting state Chairman of the party.
He said ” We have suspended barrister Venatius Ikem, as the State PDP Chairman because of lack of leadership qualities, misappropriation of funds, and disregard for higher leadership and authority, of our great party.
“We are here as a forum the State chapter chairmen to state categorically that we cannot leave our party to die. Our sacrifices for years now is to see how we can sustain this Party, see how we can rebuild this party after where we lost some of our leaders, just like the former Governor of our State, and other critical stakeholders.
” As chairmen of our party who are automatically cacus and leaders of our various Local Government of our party took it upon ourselves to say and show a way in which we can drive this process of rebuilding our party.
” One person cannot drag us back at Everytime, our leaders we know are tired of this direction of leadership. We have come as a forum to reaffirm our decision of the state executive committee that today being the 15th day of November 2024 that Barrister Venatius Ikem is hereby suspended and an acting chairman has been appointed, that will take this party to where we want.
“PDP is a party we lost in Cross River State, due to the poor leadership of the head of the party, we are where we are. Because of poor leadership, we lost the 2023 General elections, we lost the Local Government Elections, because our chairman lacks the charisma of leadership, lacks the charisma of carrying everybody along.
“He lacks understanding and always refuse to listen to advice. He refused to carry the subordinate along, we don’t want to lack behind as we geared towards the 2027 General elections.”
Calls put across to Venatius Ikem Esq were unreachable as at the time of filling this report.
