Ben Ayade not ready for governance - APC

The All Progressives Congress in Cross River State says Governor Ben Ayade is not prepared for state administration.

The Acting Chairman of the party in the state, Mr. John Ochala, gave the APC’s verdict at a news conference on the sideline of this year’s Democracy Day celebration in Calabar on Sunday.

He also stated that his party observed Ayade’s shortcomings when he was barely six months in office.



According to him, Ayade had so far committed treasonable acts by inaugurating the “Green Police” in place of forests guards as required by the state’s forestry laws.

He said that the APC had expected Ayade to perform well for his party, the PDP, but were disappointed with his lack of vision and clear-cut mission.

“We watched silently as he marked his first 100 days in office with no articulate documents or project by which one can measure his preparedness for governance or lack of it.

“After his first six months in office, tangible signs that Governor Ayade was not prepared for administration were beginning to be very obvious.

“Now it is one year down the road and I can confirm with all certainty that with Ayade our state is in very wrong hands,” Ochala stated.

He also said Ayade blundered by appointing “28 commissioners and higher number of Special Assistants when most states were exploring cost-saving measures due to poor state of the economy.

Reacting to the allegation, Ayade said that his primary focus in the first three years of his administration would include ensuring the completion of projects embarked upon by his predecessor, Liyel Imoke.

One of such projects, the governor said, “is the monorail to connect the Tinapa Business Resort at Adiabo and the Calabar International Conference Centre.”

Ayade’s signature projects include the Calabar Garment Factory, the 260 kilometre Superhighway and the Bakassi Deep Seaport.