Re: Cross River APC Should Adopt Ayade for 2019 – Goddie Akpama

Recently, precisely on March 10, 2018, I made a case for the All Progressives Congress (APC), to adopt Professor Ben Ayade, as the party’s Governorship candidate for the 2019 general elections.

I cited my  reasons for making the call, principal among which are the fact that the governor is not discriminating in his service to the people, and members of all the political parties operating in the state; and that the APC members in Cross River State are being awarded the best contracts awarded to them by Professor Ben Ayade’s administration, and other forms of personal benefits most of which  they have kept to themselves.

However, some of the APC members have confided in me  as well as a  few trusted friends that they have enjoyed serious patronage from Governor Ayade’s administration , and are convinced beyond any reasonable doubts  that , indeed, he does not discriminate and that he  carries everybody along , irrespective of whether one is a member of opposition or not.

Although, I will not mention names, I state boldly that some big time members of the APC who called my phone line on the issue, confessed that they are in agreement with my  position that Governor Ayade be adopted by the party as its flag-bearer for 2019. Their reason is that since Ayade does not discriminate along party lines, it would be expedient to adopt him as the candidate of the party for the purpose of stability of the polity of the state, and the zoning formula that has been in  place since 1999. In the words of one of them, “the infighting in the APC is such that the combatants will never  settle and agree because they are hardliners, and will maintain their hard-line positions to the end.”

One cannot agree more with the APC members. But, it is also necessary to state that Professor Ben Ayade enjoys very cordial relationship with the APC  outside Cross River State, especially in his support for the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari, who has Ayade as his son amongst Governors.

The Governor believes that for Cross River State to succeed, the federal government must succeed, and for the federal government to succeed, the state must support the federal government. This he  has often stated as the reason he is always supporting President Buhari despite the fact that the president is of the APC.

The open handedness of Governor Ayade has even sent some tongues wagging within his party the PDP that he is favouring the APC members in award of contracts even more than members of the ruling party in the state.

But, in another breathe it is not lost on the PDP members, some of whom have spoken openly, that in the history of the state, Professor Ben Ayade, has demonstrated beyond imagination that it is possible to put food on the table of families by providing direct employment to over 3,000 people, especially the youth, and an additional 9,000 people  who have been given real sense of belonging by  placing them on Conditional Cash Transfer Scheme. Let us note too that Ayade has kept the State going without a loan from any Bank. This is outstanding.

The surprise is that while some other states have found it so difficult to pay their workers salaries, the Professor Ben Ayade’s administration has been the most consistent in the payment of salaries to civil servants, and political appointees in last three years, despite the meager resources that is  accrue to the state from the Federation Account. I believe that, first of all, for being able to live up to his vow that he will not discriminate and for demonstrating that it is possible to give the people their resources which he holds in trust for them, he surely deserves a second term in office.

Some have argued that they expected much more in terms of general performance from the administration of Professor Ben Ayade, and have even jumped into conclusions that he is yet to match the  performance of his predecessors, Governor Donald Duke, and Governor Liyel Imoke.  To this category of people  who are entitled to their opinions, I state that from my observation, Governor Ayade is not competing with his predecessors, and would never do so. Rather, in the last three years, he has struggled hard to add to, and sustain what Donald Duke and Liyel Imoke achieved in the state, just as the International Convention Centre, the Mono Rail, the Tinapa Business Resort, the Carnival Calabar, Leboku New Yam Festival and a host of others.

If one was to judge Professor Ben Ayade by his achievements in the last three years, he would be given kudos for initiating the Bakassi Deep Seaport, the 275 kilometres Super Highway, the Banana Plantation, the Calabar Garment factory, the Rice City, Rice Processing Mill in Ogoja, Cocoa Process Plant in Ikom, the Bakassi Housing Project, just to mention a few.

But, one is saying the governor should not be judged by his performed in the last three years or his first term, as no governor before him was judged by their  first term,  it will be very unfair to do so. His predecessors were not judged based on their first four years in office. His predecessors were adjudged to have done out well after spending eight years in office. We should give the governor  enough time to ensure that there is stability in succession process so that whoever succeeds him after he must have done two terms in office would be able to seamlessly continue with the policy of employment of the people throughI making massive appointments. Who can contain the massive employment/salary payments without owing.  Ayade has done well for CRS.

Let the APC support/adopt Prof Ben  Ayade now, Cross River State remains  our business, she must survive.

Let Peace reign, let Ayade take us there

God bless  us all.

Thank you

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Posted by admin on Mar 21 2018. Filed under Ben Ayade Desk. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry