Wike Cannot Appoint Chairmen in Cross River, Says PDP Chairman

The Cross River State Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Venatius Ikem, has pledged that FCT Minister Nyesom Wike will not be permitted to influence the selection of the party’s next state chairman.

Ikem made the vow on Friday while responding to the declaration by the Cross River South Senatorial District PDP caucus that Wike’s faction of the party would not produce the next state chairman.

The caucus, in a communiqué signed by the state Vice Chairman, Asuquo Ekpo, after its meeting in Calabar on Wednesday, condemned the Abuja gathering of Wike’s loyalists, which called for an extension of the tenure of the state’s incumbent chairman.

Similarly, at a stakeholders’ meeting on Thursday, the Central Senatorial District caucus of the PDP faulted Wike’s alleged interference in the party’s affairs, arguing that the Minister appeared to be a member of the All Progressives Congress.

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The caucus declared party stalwart, Tim Ekawu, as its preferred chairmanship candidate for the September 27, 2025, congress.

Ikem, however, dismissed speculations that Wike could influence the party’s leadership in the state.

Speaking with THE PUNCH NEWSPAPER, he stated that the party’s structures and procedures would determine its next leadership.

“Wike is not from Cross River State. Wike does not produce chairmen in Cross River State,” Ikem said.

He added that the state’s PDP has “statutory” processes for electing its executives and that due process would be followed.