The Cross River state governor, Professor Ben Ayade, has canvassed support for the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Tinubu, describing him as the only person with the capacity to move Nigeria forward.
The governor of Cross River state, South-south Nigeria, Professor Ben Ayade, made the claim at the official flag-off of the APC campaign rally held at the Ogoja Stadium in the northern senatorial district.
Governor Ayade, who is contesting the northern senatorial district seat on the APC platform, told the cheering residents at the rally where hundreds of former members of the opposition People’s Democratic Party (PDP) defected to the APC, to vote for the party from top to bottom to reciprocate his achievements in Ogoja.
“I built the first Vitaminized Rice Mill in Ogoja. For the first time, a state polytechnic is coming to Ogoja.
“For the first time, Ogoja has four commissioners. Ogoja is my home!”said the governor.
Ayade reasoned that justice, equity, competence and capacity to deliver demanded that Tinubu and the Cross River State APC gubernatorial candidate, Senator Bassey Otu, become president and governor respectively.
“Tinubu can fix Nigeria. Tinubu comes with experience. He is an experiential architect with eyes on and hands on.
“He is a man, who has got capacity. He has been invited at this time to do all he can to see to the growth of Nigeria.
“I, therefore, ask every person here to vote for Tinubu and also ask everyone here to please, tell every Nigerian to vote for Tinubu.
“It is the turn of Southern Nigeria to produce a president.
“Nigeria must remain one, and the indivisibility of Nigeria is based on the principle of justice.
“It is also based on that sense of justice that I ask you to vote distinguished Senator (Prince Otu) as the next governor of Cross River state.
“It is the turn of southern Cross River to produce the governor; the north and central having produced theirs.
“Prince Otu has the capacity. He has the intellect. He has integrity. He has content. He has every single element that qualifies one to be governor,” Ayade appealed.
Infrastructure
Speaking further on why the APC presidential candidate should be voted into office, Ayade said Tinubu would make the infrastructural and economic development of Cross River state a priority, if elected.
“We are supporting Tinubu because, if you listened to his speech on the day he won the primaries, the only thing he mentioned was the Bakassi Deep Seaport.
“He said he was going to ensure that the Bakassi Deep Seaport was completed under his first term.
“If he does that Bakassi Deep Seaport with a dual carriage road and the superhighway, Cross River will be the next Lagos state.
“So supporting Tinubu is total because if he could fix a populous Lagos with calmness and decency, moving to the 5th biggest economy in Africa, then he can fix Nigeria.
“Let us support Tinubu to become president of Nigeria so that the Bakassi Deep Seaport can be constructed,” the governor urged.
Also speaking at the rally, the APC governorship candidate, Senator Otu, appealed to the people to vote for him and his running mate, Peter Odey, who is an indigene of the area, promising to consolidate on the gains of the Ayade administration.
Edited by Amaka E. Nliam
