By Edem Ekpo
The Grassroots Democratic Alliance (GDA) has fired a scathing salvo at the so-called Southern Senatorial District Caucus of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), accusing its leaders of betrayal and conspiring to hand the party over to opposition interests.
In a statement signed by GDA Chairman Effiom Bassey and Secretary Ntui Agbor, the group dismissed the Caucus’s rejection of Barrister Venatius Ikem as the handiwork of “desperate politicians who sold their birthrights for a plate of porridge in the last elections and can never again be trusted with the soul of the PDP.”
The GDA stressed that Ikem’s tenure extension was conducted in full compliance with party rules and highlighted his proven track record in public service, sharply contrasting it with the glaring lack of credibility among his detractors.
The statement described the Caucus’s promotion of Barrister Tim Ekawu as a “joke” and an “ADC-sponsored impostor” planted to destabilize the PDP.
According to the GDA, Ekawu, who has served as ADC coordinator in Cross River North, defied directives from the State Working Committee and engaged in anti-party activities.
Since 1999, Ekawu has been a serial contender, contesting and losing every election he entered. He lacks pedigree, support, or the political sagacity to lead even a ward, let alone the PDP in Cross River State,” the group said.
The GDA further accused Ekawu’s promoters of masquerading as PDP members while secretly colluding with the ruling government through ADC platforms.
The Alliance also highlighted the conspicuous absence of mainstream Southern Caucus leaders, including former Deputy Governor Effiok Cobham, former National Assembly members Hon. Essien Ayi and Hon. Etta Mbora, and all six local government PDP chairmen.
“This was a meeting of a drowning cartel surviving on political horse trading whose time has expired. They have isolated themselves from the legitimate structures of the party,” the GDA warned.
The group concluded by insisting that the PDP’s future cannot be entrusted to those who betrayed the party and abandoned their duty to strengthen it as a credible opposition.
