There has been apprehension in Calabar, the Cross River State capital, since the arrival of members of the Peoples Democratic Party screening panel that is expected to clear all the aspirants expected to participate in the primaries for the 2015 elections.
The fear is that the panel may have been set up with a mandate to disqualify aspirants who are not in the good books of the Governor, Senator Liyel Imoke.
Only penultimate week, the state PDP announced the suspension of some key stakeholders in the party, including a frontline governorship contender, Gody Jedy Agba, and his major campaign directors.
The party was at the verge of suspending the Senate Leader, Victor Ndoma-Egba, but it shifted it to the national secretariat of the party.
Those who expressed concern about the panel membership said it was worrisome that they were either colleagues, friends or associates of Imoke.
For instance, the panel Chairman, Senator Ben Birabi, served in the National Assembly with the governor.
The panel Secretary is Lyod Ukwu and his daughter, Yetunde, works with Imoke as personal assistant.
Also, the chairman’s son, Nnaku, also works with Imoke in the same capacity as personal assistant.
The other member of the panel, Nedum Ejiogu, is a long time friend of Imoke.
They knew in their school days in London.
The stakeholders are worried that with the composition of the panel, the aspirants, who are not in the good books of the governor, would be screened out.
One of the stakeholders said: “There is so much tension in the state.
“Can you imagine that the screening panel that the governor has brought into the state to screen aspirants are all his people?
“How can he bring parents of his personal aides to come and screen people in Cross River?
“This will mark the end of PDP in Cross River State if they succeed in this mission to screen out people whom he does not want.
“He failed in the effort to influence what happened during the ward congresses.
“Now, he wants to stop the aspirants whose faces he does not like through the screening panel.
“We will not take it.
“We will resist it.
“And if they insist, it means they do not want the PDP again in the state.”
The state Chairman of the PDP, Ntufam John Okon, did not pick his calls for comments.
Imoke’s spokesman, Christian Ita, was also not available for comments.