PDP governorship aspirant Wilfred Bonse is demanding a refund of his N21 million paid to pick a governorship nomination form in Cross River. He said he was no longer interested in contesting the PDP governorship primary election. 

Mr Bonse, on Tuesday, linked his demand to “unfair treatment” by PDP to prevent him from 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 are non-refundable.

Mr Bonse said the party refused to disqualify or clear him to contest the primary election scheduled for Wednesday (today).

“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,” said the governorship aspirant.”

He added, “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 amended Electoral Act provides for clearance to be done seven days to the primary but Mr Bonse’s 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,” Mr Bonse further explained. “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.”

He disclosed that he would seek his ambition on more “commodious political party platform.”

Mr Bonse added that he had also made his request known in a letter submitted to PDP national chairman Iyorchia Ayu, received, acknowledged at the party’s national secretariat, Abuja.

In the letter, Mr Bonse said he was withdrawing to contest the election on the platform of another party, as all avenues to seek justice in PDP were unsuccessful in an obvious attempt to deny him participation in the primary.

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

Asked if he was invited for 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, voters 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 he had already requested NYSC to provide. Mr Bonse explained that he was assured the certificate would be processed promptly.

“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,” lamented Mr Bonse.

(NAN)