By Bassey Bassey
CALABAR (BEAGLE NEWS, CONVERSEER) – Cross River State Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Barr. Venatius Ikem, has stated unequivocally that the scheduled State Congress for Saturday, 27th September 2025, will still hold.
Reacting to the postponement of Cross River and Plateau states Congresses by the NWC, Ikem said the national body has no constitutional right to override NEC’s decision on CONGRESS matters.
Insisting that Congress would hold as planned on Saturday, Ikem also debunked the claim that his tenure had expired.
He alleged that some interested persons who want to take over the affairs of the State Chapter of the PDP were bent on creating a crisis where none existed.
Ikem noted that the purported dissolution of the SWC was all about a ploy to have a way for the emergence of their predetermined candidates for the scheduled September 27 Congress.
“The National Working Committee (NWC) is not the National Executive Committee (NEC) of which I’m a member.
“The NEC of the party fixed that date, September 27, for the Congress, and the only five or so persons of the NWC that are here cannot, in their social media platform, begin to churn out ridiculous rules for everybody and every state in the name of the working committee.
“So, they cannot; they have no moral authority, no legal authority, no constitutional authority, to go behind NEC and take such a decision.
“As a member of NEC, I know that there are instances where they can make a decision on behalf of NEC,
but not on this, not in this kind of situation.
“They cannot. They are incapable of overruling NEC because this will amount to overruling NEC.
They don’t have such a mandate. And we will challenge it everywhere,
including the courts of law,” Ikem emphasised.
Ikem insisted that the Congress will hold on as planned, as all logistics have been put in place for a successful Congress on Saturday.
“In the first place, the NEC or indeed the NWC, especially, has no right to organise a Congress for many states.
“Each organ of the party is empowered by the constitution to organise its Congress;
The local governments, states, and the national government, so this aberration has gone on for too long.
“The state Congress will be organised by the state chapter of the party. At best, the committee from the national is to monitor,” he insisted.
Speaking on the purported dissolution of the SWC, the chairman explained that his tenure will expire on the 29th of September.
According to him, “I have been able to marshal out concrete arguments on why our tenure has not expired.
Our election was held on the 18th of September, 2021 and we were sworn in on the 29th.
“I have since submitted my oath of office. Anybody who claims otherwise, including the State Secretary, let him produce his oath of office that was taken on that day.
“Oath of office and oath of allegiance. We all swore to it
and we all have copies. Let him produce his own to show that it is different.”
Meanwhile, THE BEAGLE NEWS investigations revealed that the Vena-led Exco has concluded arrangements for the Saturday Congress as delegates are expected to start arriving from Friday, September 26.
