PDP disowns purported executives list for Cross River

The National Working Committee (NWC), of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has disowned what it described as forged list of Wards and Local Government Area (LGA), Executives for Cross River, circulating on the social media.

The party in a statement issued by its National Organising Secretary, Col. Austin Akobundu (Rtd), and issued on Friday in Abuja stated that the purported list lacked the basic security features for correspondence emanating from the party.

Akobundu said that the attention of the NWC had been drawn to the list/document purportedly signed by him as the authentic list of approved new Ward and LGA executives for Cross River State.

He said that the forged list was against the one earlier forwarded to the State Chapter of the party, which was also copied to other appropriate authorities.

“In clear and unambiguous terms, the PDP states that it had not sent any other list/document to Cross River state other than the initial list sent on Monday April 27, 2020, with Ref Number: PDP/DOM/GF.V/Vol.2/20-387B.

“For the avoidance of doubt, this document in circulation on the social media is forged, as our document has more than 10 distinguishing features, which are completely absent in the forged circulating version.

“For instance three of these features which are missing in the forged documents are listed below:

“Footnotes on the Party’s Original Document has page numbers for control purposes as in (1 of 217). The forged document does not.

“Original Party document has Reference Number as: PDP/DOM/GF.V/Vol.2/20-387B (B Stands For Bulk, since all states get the same letter with same Reference Number, the forged document has PDP/DOM/GF.V/Vol.2/20-377B.

“In the arrangements of Local Government Areas: the Original Party Document begins with OBUBRA LGA and OSOPANG II Ward, while the forged document begins with Abi LGA and ITIGIDI Ward;

“The other security features will not be disclosed for forensic purposes as this despicable act will be properly investigated and the perpetrators reprimanded,” he clarified.

Akobundu said while the PDP did not want to join issues with the authors of the forged document, the party’s Directorate of Organisation and Mobilisation, disowned the forged document in its entirety.

He urged all PDP members, stakeholders and party faithful to discountenance it.

“We stand by the initial authentic list of the Ward and Local Government executives for all the 196 wards and 18 LGAs of Cross River, as contained in the attached lists of names of Ward and LGA Exco members approved by the NWC of our great party.

“The approval was done after giving careful consideration to the reports of the Electoral Committee and the Appeal Panel,” Akobundu said.