A governorship aspirant of the Peoples Democratic Party in Cross River State, Amb. Wilfred Bonse, has withdrawn from contesting the 2023 gubernatorial election, asking the PDP to refund the N21 million used to purchase the expression of interest and nomination forms.

Bonse made this known in an interview with NAN in Abuja on Tuesday.

The aspirant linked his demand to “unfair treatment” from the party to deny him participating in the forthcoming governorship primary in Cross River.

According to an official of the party, the fee for nomination and expression of interest forms is non-refundable.

Bonse said the PDP refused to disqualify or clear him to contest in the party’s primary election, which has been scheduled for Wednesday (today).

He said: “I am requesting the party to refund the sum of N21 million I paid for the expression of interest and nomination forms I bought.

“If I had, for instance, been given a fair chance to participate in the primary, and I lost, I will 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 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 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.

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“But Cross River is bigger than any person. It is also bigger than any party. So we move,” Bonse stated.

The governorship aspirant further disclosed that he would be seeking his ambition on another more “commodious political party platform”.

Bonse added that he had also made his request known in a letter submitted to the PDP National Chairman, Sen. Iyorchia Ayu, which he said was received, and acknowledged at the party’s national secretariat in Abuja.

Bonse, in the letter which was sighted by NAN, said he was withdrawing to contest the election on the platform of another party, as all avenues to seek justice in PDP proved abortive in an obvious attempt to deny him participation in the primary.

The letter was titled, ‘Notice of Withdrawal of Interest to Participate in the Governorship Primaries of Cross River State’.

The governorship aspirant also copied the party’s National Organising Secretary, Financial Secretary, National Publicity Secretary, and Deputy National Secretary in the letter.

Asked if he was invited to the party’s screening, Bonse said ‘yes’.

He added that at the point of screening, he was requested to provide his receipts of tax clearance certificate, voter’s card, and birth certificate with court attestation, which he presented.

He said the screening committee also requested his National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) discharge certificate, which he explained that he had already requested and NYSC assured him it would be processed as soon as its portal was opened.

“But they had hung upon that particular point, just kept us down to the point where it is becoming very ridiculous to say the very least,” Bonse said.

On his next line of action, Bonse said it would be communicated in the next 24 hours, adding that he was consulting with stakeholders.

The Star