By Ogochukwu Isioma
As the build up to the governorship primaries of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) intensifies, a group, the Cross River State PDP Professionals (CROSPP), has cautioned the leadership of the party in the state against fielding a green horn as its governorship candidate ahead of the 2023 gubernatorial poll in the state.
The warning is coming on the backdrop of speculations that there were clandestine moves to impose the founder of Arthur Jarvis University, Arthur Jarvis Archibong as the PDP gubernatorial candidate.
Reports indicated that former Governor, Donald Duke, had earlier made frantic moves to ensure that Arthur Jarvis emerged the consensus candidate, but other frontline aspirants like Sen. Gershom Bassey, Hon. Daniel Asuquo, and Hon. Nkoyo Toyo vehemently opposed the idea.
In a statement, leader of the CROSPP, Okon Edem-Ita explained that as part of the critical stakeholders, the group is opposed to any form of imposition by the PDP leadership either through the channels of the State Working Committee (SWC) or through the interest of a former governor.
Edem-Ita explained that, Arthur Jarvis Archibong is new to the party, and given the strategic repositioning of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state by Gov. Ben Ayade and the emergence of Sen. Bassey Otu, it will be politically suicidal for the PDP to present a green horn as its governorship candidate in 2023 elections.
“As professionals within the PDP, we are totally against the weakening of our party’s chances in the forthcoming governorship election in Cross River State. While, it is the constitutional right of every man and woman who has attended the universal suffrage age and status to run for elections, as a group, we will never yield the PDP for a defeat in the next governorship election.”
The CROSPP Chairman further maintained that the current efforts by some leaders of the party to present Arthur Jarvis as the PDP gubernatorial candidate is a disservice to the party and undemocratic.
“Holding a kangaroo meeting in anticipation of arriving at a purported consensus candidate is a disservice to the party, which will definitely end in fiasco. We therefore call on the PDP State Chairman and its SWC to ensure a level playing field for all the candidates.
“As a critical component of Cross River PDP, we are at liberty to point out the dangers of presenting Arthur Jarvis Archibong as the governorship candidate through the backdoor. We have nothing against his person and political interest, what we called for is justice and fairness.
“We demand that all the governorship aspirants from Gershom Bassey, Daniel Asuquo, Nkoyo Toyo and even Arthur Jarvis himself should be allowed to go to the field and show their strength. Anything otherwise will surely spell doom for PDP chances in Cross River State in the 2023 general election, not only on the governorship race, but in other polls as well.”