Judex Okoro, Calabar
Ahead of 2019 general election, a senior citizen and chieftain of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Cross River STate, Sir Patrick Iwara, has said Governor Ben Ayade’s giant strides in agriculture and the industrial sectors stands him out as the best option for the state.
Speaking to newsmen while declaring his intention to run for the Cross River central senatorial district in the platform of PDP for the second time at his home town Ugep during the weekend, Iwara said it would be good politicking for Cross Riverians to give the incumbent governor another opportunity for a second term to complete the gigantic legacy projects he already started.
The former member of National Economic and Intelligence Committee said it was high time the people stopped playing politics with everything especially the issue of governance as the Ayade administration had done enough within the limited resources available to re-position the state from civil service statue to an emerging industrial hub within the south-south zone.
Said he, “Governor Ayade is taking on a lot of projects including garment factory, Calapharm, rice seedlings factory and coco factory with a little resources.
“Three years is too short for any impact to be felt. So for me, I will like to give him an opportunity for a second term so that those projects will not fail because a new administration coming may not be interested in those projects like our typical governance and it becomes an abandoned projects.”
Arguing that if 80 per cent of those projects were completed, the system would be re-energised and add value as well as create employment opportunities for the people of the state.
Iwara, therefore, called on other senior citizens of the state and founding members of the party, to rally round Governor Ayade to salvage the state and take it to the next level where equity, justice and economic prosperity reigns.
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Debunking rumours making the rounds that the governor intended to defect before 2019 general election, Iwara said, “He (Ayade) is not defecting to APC. He wants to be a governor of the PDP.
“He wants re-election on the platform of the PDP. His defecting will be like committing treason and it would be counterproductive to him and his political career.
“The Governor has integrity and he has assured us in PDP forum that he is not going anywhere.”
Reacting to the gale of defections in the country, Iwara said it was as a result of lack of ideology within the party system that has contributed to destroying party politics and make it look as if Nigeria lacks direction.
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He, however, predicted that the defections would continue until the political actors come together to find lasting solutions to the political imbroglio.
He called on Nigerians to vote out the APC in 2019 as the change the party promised is not only a fluke, but a bitter pill to swallow.