PDP governorship hopeful withdraws, demands refund of nomination form fee

Wilfred Bonse, a Cross River governorship hopeful in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has withdrawn from the race.

In an interview with NAN in Abuja on Tuesday, Bonse accused the party of “unfair treatment”, adding that he was neither disqualified nor cleared to participate in the primary.

Bonse called on the party to refund the N21 million he paid for the expression of interest and nomination forms.

“I am requesting the party to refund the sum of N 21 million I paid for the expression of interest and nomination forms I bought,” he said.

“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 not for the party to lose the 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 in 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 said he had written a letter on the matter to Iyorchia Ayu, the national chairman of the party.

In the letter seen by NAN, Bonse noted that he was withdrawing to contest the election on the platform of another party.

“Having exhausted all avenues of consultation and appeal within the party without success, I am withdrawing my ambition to contest for gubernatorial election for Cross River State on the platform of PDP,” the letter reads.

“I am hereby defecting from the PDP to another political party with my followers who are in their hundreds along with their followers by extension.

“I had hope in view of the PDP ‘New Generation Operation Rescue Nigeria, Join the PDP Mantra for a level-playing field that will see the emergence of the best man for the job.

“An individual that will swing power from the hands of the ruling APC to PDP in Cross River State, but going by my experience. I was obviously wrong.

“That is why I requested for a full refund of all sums paid by me in respect of my botched expression of interest and nomination forms for participating in the primaries of the party totalling N21,000,000.”

When asked if he participated in the party’s screening, Bonse said his documents, including his tax records, were presented for the exercise. 

He said the screening committee was, however, insistent on his National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) discharge certificate, which he explained that he had already requested and was being processed.