The Cross River chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party has initiated a reconciliation and consultation process as part of efforts to rebrand and strengthen the party ahead of the 2027 elections.
The process began with visits to key party stakeholders in the Cross River South Senatorial District by the newly-inaugurated acting Chairman, Chief Austin Edibe, and members of the State Working Committee.
The consultations are aimed at leveraging the expertise of influential stakeholders to reposition the party for future political success, according to NewsDiary
Edibe emphasized that the consultation process was critical for revitalizing the party in the state, acknowledging that while some past mistakes had nearly undermined the party’s achievements since 1999, there was still hope for a strong resurgence.
He further stressed that the party still maintained a strong presence in the northern senatorial district, even after the tenure of the immediate past governor from the region.
He called on party members to focus on galvanizing support in the remaining two senatorial districts, reconcile aggrieved members, and take proactive steps to reposition the party across the state.
Among those visited during the consultation were former Deputy Governor of Cross River State, Effiok Cobham; former Chairman of Calabar South Local Government, Mr. Bassey Ekefre; and the convener of the PDP Elders’ Forum, Mrs. Eno Oqua.
Cobham commended the initiative and expressed confidence in the ability of Edibe and his team to achieve their goals. He also encouraged the acting chairman to reach out to all disenchanted members of the party as part of the effort to reposition PDP in the state. Cobham assured the party leadership of his unwavering support.
Similarly, Ekefre and Oqua expressed their commitment to assisting the new leadership in their efforts to revive and strengthen the party in preparation for future electoral challenges.
“We must not be downcast with our present opposition status in the state. Cross River remains a PDP state.
“Not only do our past records attest to this, we are holding our well in the northern senatorial district of the state, even with the immediate past governor being from there.
“All we need to do in the remaining two districts is to see how we can galvanise our members, reconcile the perceived aggrieved ones and set to process to reposition the party across the state.
“Our focus will not just be south and central senatorial districts, even the north where we seem to have held sway will be part of the total repositioning and rebranding of PDP in Cross River.
“With the visits of today, we are elated and hopeful that we have commenced the process of healing that will ultimately take us back to the good old days of PDP in the state,” Edibe stated.
