… to formally adopt Gov Jan 26
No fewer than 42 political parties have pledged to deploy
their structures and support base in support of the re-election bid of the
incumbent governor of the State, Prof. Ben Ayade, in the March 2, 2019 election.
They also announced plans to formally adopt the governor as
their candidate on January 26, 2019.
Led by the State chairman of Conference of Nigeria Political
parties( CNPP), Mr. Michael Sunday and his Inter-Party Advisory Council
(IPAC) counterpart Mr. Paddy Ally, the parties said the governor
deserves their support on the strength of what he has achieve in office.
Sunday, who is also the gubernatorial candidate of
Independent Democrats (ID), commended Ayade forhis industrialization drive as
well as prompt payment of salaries to civil/public servants.
His words: “Your Excellency, before you are chairmen of 42
political parties in Cross River State. When the Independent National Electoral
Commission (INEC)opened the window for political activities to begin, many
people including you, resolved to buy forms to contest for the governorship
seat of the state.
But as time went on, We called ourselves together and said
the incumbent Governor has not done badly. We began to take stock, We looked at
the by-pass, a place that was kind of swampy, today that place has become an
industrial hub; and this was done in three years.”
Justifying their decision further, he maintained that, “Often
times when we hear people say you have not done this nor that, they forget to
also mention what you have done. I tell people that if somebody comes into
power and has built road, the next person should focus on doing something else,
and that is what Ayade has done by industrialising the state and that is why we
have decided that we are going to drop our ambitions and support you.”
Continuing he said by adopting the governor the parties were
“adopting industrialization, prompt payment of salaries, economic growth and a
good man with a good heart.”
Speaking in a similar vein, assured the governor that “forty
thousand members of our group would gather on the 26th of January to support
you.
“We have come en masse
to adopt you as the governor of this State, and we are going to demonstrate the
same on the 26 as I said earlier.”
Responding, Governor Ayade expressed appreciation to the
parties for finding him worthy of their support and assured them that he would
not disappoint them and the people of the state; adding that his love for the
state overrides every other consideration.