Only truth can save PDP in C’ River, says Gershom Bassey

Sen. Gershom Bassey, representing the Southern Senatorial District of Cross River, on Tuesday disclosed that only the truth can save the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in Cross River.

Bassey made the call during a rally at the PDP Secretariat in Calabar to celebrate Christmas and carry out consultations before deciding if he would declare to run for governorship in 2023.

The senator who came in company of 188 support groups, noted that the party must stand on the truth which was agreed in 2015 by the stakeholders of the party in the state.

“In 2015, as a party, we said it was the turn of the Northern Senatorial District and we zoned the governorship to the north.”

“This was because in 1999, Mr Donald Duke from the Southern Senatorial District became the governor and after eight years in 2007, PDP zoned the governorship to the Central Senatorial District.”

“This arrangement brought Sen. Liyel Imoke to be the governor for eight years; now after all the zones have led for eight years, it is the turn of the south, this is the truth and the party should abide by it,” he maintained.

Responding, Mr Venatius Ikem, Chairman of PDP in Cross River, said he had no doubt that the party’s executive would stand by the truth in choosing a candidate for the 2023 gubernatorial election.

Ikem said the party would provide a level-playing ground for all the aspirants of the party for the 2023 elections.

He, however, added that what makes a political party lose an election is not intensive primaries but unfair treatment of its members.

“As the Chairman, I love to stand by the truth and I have no doubt about the history of the party and the decisions it reached.”

“The party executive will do the needful to ensure that power in the state returns to the PDP in 2023 as I will never do anything to undermine the candidature of any member of the party,” he said.

Our correspondent reports that the issue of zoning has been very controversial in the state after all three senatorial districts had produced a governor between 1999 and 2021.