Judex Okoro, Calabar
The Cross River chapter of People Democratic Party, PDP, has hailed the National Working Committee,NWC, for extending the tenure of the State Executive Committee.
The National Working Committee, NWC, of PDP, had last week extended the tenure of 23 state working committees including the Ntufam Edim Inok-led Cross River Executive Committee by three(3) months.
The State Executive Committee is,however, to function as a Caretaker Committee pending the state Congress of the party where a new state executive will be elected.
Hailing the national leadership of the party shortly after the committee’s brief meeting with Governor Ben Ayade in Calabar during the weekend, the State Publicity Secretary of the party, Mr Egbung Odama Egbung,  said such a decision has gone a long way to re-uniting the members and then laid to rest the speculation making the rounds that we are factionalised.
Egbung maintained that political party is an aggregate of different interests and therefore not out of place for members and key actors to disagree at certain point especially when it has to do with sharing of party offices or jostling for party positions, but added that the beauty of democracy is ability to come together and forge a common front to capture political power and cater for the welfare of Nigerians.
He said the party remains one indivisible family that would continue to hold on to power as long as the people want, calling on all the stakeholders to join hands in entroning an acceptable leadership in the state.
According to him, the three months extension would enable the state leadership chart a new course that would enforce an acceptable party leadership after them.
 Egbung further said: “I am happy by the decision to extend their tenure and the total Support of Governor  Ben Ayade,who is the leader of the Party in the State.
“It was a swift and pro-active decision by the national leadership of our great party. The action is highly appropriate and commendable in the interest of the party. Certainly, it would stabilise the polity, promote internal democracy, and safeguard the ongoing constitutional democracy,” he stated.
The National Working Committee (NWC) of PDP had on behalf of the National Executive Committee, NEC, under section 29 (2)(b) and 31(2) (E) of our party’s constitution (2017 as amended) approved the reconstitution of the current State Executive Committee members of your state into state caretaker committee.