Former Cross River State Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Venatius Ikem, has criticised the party’s organisational structure, describing it as fragmented and incapable of securing electoral victories, particularly against an incumbent.
Ikem made the remarks during an interview on ARISE News on Thursday, where he discussed his defection to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the PDP’s preparedness for the 2027 general elections.
He said the opposition party lacked the structures and national direction required to compete effectively, adding that its members were divided across different political interests.
“I see an incumbent who is doing well, and I see our own structures, which are completely dissipated in multiple directions. I mean, you find the former governors here and there, former senators all over the place. And if you tell me that we have a structure that will win elections, I would think that you will be performing a miracle,” he said.
Ikem also questioned the party’s ability to mobilise support behind its presidential candidate, Professor Sandy Onor, whom he said had not been sufficiently visible in the political space.
“I’ve never, I mean, my friend, Professor Sandy Onor is the presidential candidate of the party. But as you know, he’s not been visible anywhere to carry out any activities. And we are just floating, so to speak, in this state,” he said.
He further described the party’s national direction as unclear, arguing that his political experience made it difficult to remain in a party without a credible electoral path.
“And so when you look at the entire contraption as the PDP is now, it’s, with my kind of experience, I come from a very vast experience in politics, as you must know, it becomes difficult for you to hang in there for the sake of hanging in, because you know clearly that the results of the next elections would be either by magic, that they would be in your favour, or you are just going through the motions,” Ikem said.
He added that he could not continue participating in the party without expecting tangible electoral results.
“And I think that at this stage, and with my experience, I cannot go through the motions without expecting a result,” he said.
Faridah Abdulkadiri
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