By Kelvin Obambon
A political pressure group, the Ikom Grassroot Progressives, has raised an alarm over what it describes as a “calculated plot” by certain aggrieved and selfish interests within the All Progressives Congress (APC) to unseat the Acting State Chairman, Comrade Ekum Ekok Ojogu.
In a strongly worded press statement released on Monday, January 26, the group warned that the move to remove Ojogu is not based on incompetence or failure, but rather on his refusal to facilitate the “illegal and reckless” removal of elected party officers in the state.
The group alleged that the plot is being driven by personal ambition rather than the collective interest of the party. According to the statement, the agitators have abandoned the party’s constitution and internal democracy in favor of “conspiracy, blackmail, and political sabotage.”
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“Comrade Ojogu’s greatest ‘offence’ is that he refused to do the wrong thing,” the statement read. “He refused to abuse his office. He refused to become a tool for injustice. He refused to destroy party structures to satisfy a few loud and impatient individuals.”
The Ikom Grassroot Progressives further expressed disappointment over reports that some indigenes of Ikom are allegedly conniving with elements from Obudu to destabilize the state party structure, labeling the collaboration as “shameful, dangerous, and short-sighted.”
The group questioned the timing and motives of the internal friction, warning that a house divided against itself cannot stand ahead of future electoral challenges.
“Where is this spirit of intolerance and destruction coming from? Since when did we start fighting ourselves instead of fighting our political opponents?” the group queried. “A party that is busy fighting itself cannot defeat the opposition. A party that is built on conspiracy cannot command public trust.”
The statement also touched on the geographical and moral implications of the plot. Highlighting that the immediate past governor, Senator Ben Ayade, hails from Obudu, the group argued that using Obudu as a platform to destabilize current leadership is “politically insensitive and divisive.”
They warned that if the plot succeeds, it would set a precedent where discipline and loyalty no longer matter, potentially leading to a total collapse of the party structure from within.
The Ikom Grassroot Progressives called on party elders, stakeholders, and the Governor of Cross River State to intervene and “stop this madness” before it causes irreparable damage.
“You don’t build a house by pulling down its pillars,” the statement reads. “You don’t strengthen a party by humiliating its leadership. This is the time for wisdom, restraint, and the protection of our party.”
