2019:  Endorsement galore in C/River for Ayade’s second term bid

Governor Ben Ayade has gone down in history as one of the luckiest governors ever produced in Cross River State since 1999 without stiff opposition, writes MIKE ABANG

 

First, he picked nomination form to represent Cross River North Senatorial District in 2015 before he was prevailed upon to come and run for governorship by the former Governor Liyel Imoke. Without posters, he won the party primaries on the platform of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in a race he was never in the picture and went ahead to win the governorship election in the state.

Since he became governor of the state in 2015, there has been a culture of silence in the state by the opposition parties contrary to what was the case during the Donald Duke and Liyel Imoke administrations.

Despite criticism of his administration over quantum of political appointees, the Ayade administration is regarded in the state as the friendliest and a regime that has empowered many indigenes and has touched lives of many people. Though none of his signature projects such as the 275km superhighway, Bakassi deep seaport rice city, Banana plantation and others have seen the light of day apart from the garment factory that has commenced production, the people are happy with him.

The recent crises bedeviling the All People’s Congress (APC) in the state is alleged to further weaken the party and allow the governor have a likely smooth ride into Diamond Hill Government House in 2019.

With the gamut of endorsement going on in the state in all the three Senatorial districts, thumbing up for Ayade re-election, observers say it will only take magic to unseat him in 2019.

Though the governor is yet to cross the first hurdle of picking nomination form from his party, there are indications that it will be difficult for anybody to win Ayade during the primaries as his political appointees are enough to intimidate any opponent with numerical strength required to win the primaries in his party.

Apart from that, the present state executive of the PDP is solidly with the governor and working for his aspiration in 2019.

Even as some political heavyweights in the state may not be on the side of the governor, politics is a game of numbers and elections are won by huge followership.

 

Endorsement galore for Ayade

 

A socio, economic and political organisation made up of the seven Local Government Areas in the Southern Senatorial District of Cross River State has unanimously endorsed Governor Ayade for a second term ahead of 2019 in the state.

The group made the declaration at Calabar Municipal ground venue for the endorsement rally for Ayade’s second term bid by the seven local government areas that made up Southern Senatorial District. They include Akamkpa, Odukpani, Biase, Calabar South, Calabar Municipal Council, Akpabuyo, Bakassi.

Asuquo Ekpeyong, an investment guru and financial expert, said after a careful study of the performance of the governor in office in two and half years, they decided that the governor should be returned in 2019.

“Today marks another historic day as we are asking the governor to offer himself for election come 2019 because there is no other person to take over from him right now,” Ekpeyong said.

John Okon, a former state chairman of PDP, said the people of the Southern Senatorial district have come to a conclusion that the governor is given a second term because of his performance in office. He cited the 275km superhighway, the Bakassi deep seaport, Rice city, Banana and cocoa plantations, among others that the governor had embarked upon. “We are gathered here for the continuation of the present leadership; the people had demonstrated this in the past, we are gathered here for the endorsement of Governor Ben Ayade for 2019,” Okon said.

Stella Atoe, a former commissioner and Board of Trustees (BoT) member of the PDP, said: “Today, history is being made by the people of Southern Senatorial district because we have had men of history in the past and our governor is shaking the ground in a positive way, we want to give him another time to do more,” Atoe said.

An elated Ekpo Okon, a former state chairman of PDP, said Ayade had proven his leadership qualities and had impressed the people by delivering on the dividends of democracy, particularly his ability to pay salaries.

Okon said that it was the good leadership qualities that have been showcased by Ayade in the saddle for over two years that have endeared him to the people.

“You must have a reason to take decision and the people of Odukpani Local government have taken that decision to endorse Governor Ben Ayade for second term, not only because of his performance, he is able to pay salaries and there is this harmony that exists between our people; we must sustain that harmony that has been exiting since two years plus now.

Bassey Ndem, a former managing director of Tinapa Business Resort, representing Akabuyo Local Government, said the people of his area were in total support of the governor’s second term bid.