PDP aspirant withdraws from Cross River governorship race, demands refund of nomination fee

A member of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP),  Amb. Wilfred Bonse, has withdrawn from contesting the 2023 governorship election in Cross River, asking the party to refund the N21 million used to purchase forms.

Bonse in an interview with newsmen in Abuja on Tuesday, linked his demand to “unfair treatment” from the party to deny him participation in the forthcoming governorship primary in Cross River.

According to an official of the party, the fee for nomination and expression of interest forms is non-refundable.

Bonse said that the party had refused to disqualify or clear him to contest in the forthcoming party’s primary election scheduled for Wednesday.

In his words, “I am requesting the party to refund the sum of N21 million I paid for the expression of interest and nomination forms I bought.

“If I had, for instance, been given a fair chance to participate in the primary, and I lost, I would not have had an issue. But then, I am being stonewalled at every point.

“A Board of Trustees (BOT) member has given a letter to PDP, urging them to reconsider my issue in order for the party not to lose governorship election in the state considering my pedigree.

“But it has fallen on deaf ears and the time is very close. As I speak, we have less than seven days to the primaries.

“The new Electoral Act provides for clearance to be done seven days to the primary and my name to be sent to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

“So, my understanding of what is happening is not something I probably want to say on camera, but it is obvious that certain persons are seriously intimidated by my candidacy.

“They are playing some underhand games to try to stall me from participating in the primary.

“But Cross River is bigger than any person. It is also bigger than any party. So we move.”

Bonse disclosed that he would be seeking his ambition on another more “commodious political party platform”.

Bonse added that he had also made his request known in a letter and submitted it to the National Chairman of the PDP, Sen. Iyorchia Ayu, which was received, and acknowledged at the party’s national secretariat in Abuja.

(NAN)