Social Democratic Party, SDP, has affirmed Eyo Ekpo as its gubernatorial candidate through direct primaries conducted in the 18 Local Government Areas of Cross River State.
The exercise, supervised by the SDP Governorship Primary Committee from the national, saw party faithful across the 196 wards in Cross River State unanimously vote for Ekpo, the sole aspirant for the governorship ticket. It was a peaceful and transparent exercise as faithful took turns to cast votes in the presence of security operatives and representatives of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC.
When he spoke later, Ekpo expressed gratitude for the mandate given him l, coming clear that the mission to recover and restore Cross River State was not negotiable.
“This statewide affirmation of my candidacy signifies the confidence you have in my ability to rescue Cross River from the downward spiral currently plaguing every sector. It is the vision of the SDP to provide you people with the dividends of democracy and I pledge to do just that: recover and restore Cross River State. I urge you all to join me in this vision and make it our collective responsibility to rebrand our dear State”, remarked Ekpo.
State Chairman of the party, Eni Ikpi, at the occasion, expressed satisfaction with the turnout of faithful for the primary, noting that the SDP’s decision to conduct its governorship primary in all the local government areas was to enhance democracy and ensure the inclusion of all members in the governorship selection process.
He added that though the primary, which was slated for Monday, October 1 dovetailed into Tuesday, the party was moving ahead for the next round of primary, its presidential primary billed to hold at Abuja on Saturday, October 6.
