Former Cross River State Governor, Ben Ayade, has expressed frustration over what he described as a directive from President Bola Tinubu asking him to step down from the race for the Cross River North Senatorial seat ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Mr Ayade made the disclosure in a statement posted on his Facebook page on Monday, saying the directive followed a high-level consultation with the Presidency in Abuja.
According to the former governor, he had chosen to respect the President’s request despite feeling hurt by the development.
“Mr President wants me to withhold my Senate ambition. I yield to his request even as I pour tears of ill treatment and agony,” Mr Ayade stated.
He, however, suggested that President Tinubu may not have been fully informed about the political situation in Cross River State and the individuals he claimed stood to benefit from the decision.
“Mr President may not be aware that the beneficiaries of his order are people armed against us with guns and machetes in the collation centres,” he alleged.
Mr Ayade also reflected on his role in strengthening the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Cross River State, noting that he was the first APC governor in the South-South region and contributed significantly to the party’s electoral success in 2023.
“I worked assiduously for the party and delivered almost 40,000 votes above PDP in the presidential election, first in the history of our state,” he said.
The former governor lamented what he described as his continued marginalisation within the ruling party, claiming he had remained without any appointment for over three years.
“For over three years, I have been sidelined without appointment,” he added.
Mr Ayade further expressed displeasure over being asked to sacrifice his ambition for what he described as a recent entrant into the APC.
“Yielding a ticket to a newest entrant from opposition just under five months is a spiritual murder,” he said.
Despite his grievances, Ayade urged his supporters to remain calm and loyal to the party while efforts continue to seek a possible review of the directive.
