By Ifeoma Ikem
A business mogul in Cross River State, Mr. Austin Akan, has called on the people of the state to collectively support the State governor, Senator Ben Ayade in next general election on March 2, 2019 .
Akan, who made the call in Calabar on Sunday, opined that there was every justifiable reason why Prof. Ayade should be reelected for second term besides the ethically and morally valid position that other two senatorial districts have taken their eight years each as arranged by the leaders of the state, years back, and so there should be no reason why Ayade and the north should not have their own eight years.He posited that on his performances in the past three years and seven months, it will only take a people who do not know what is good and beneficial to them to work against Ayade’s second term.
According to the PDP stalwart in the state and reputable Ogoja based business tycoon, whose businesses cut across Cross River State is one of the luckiest States to have a pragmatic, visionary and purposeful driven man like Ayade with the heart of a gold at the driver’s seat of the state from 2015, working not only to build upon what the past leaders have achieved but to chart a new course that will liberate the state and it’s people from the shackles of poverty and want.He gave this advice ahead of the PDP campaigns scheduled to commence, Tuesday in Ogoja and Yala, charged the people to come out massively across the 18 LGAs for PDP, Ayade and other PDP candidates as the campaign train moves from across the state between Tuesday January 22- February 6, 2019 for the campaigns in preparation for the general elections fixed for February 16 and March 2, 2019.
He also reasoned that the wide spread endorsement of the governor including the recent nod by the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), and NULGE, is a clear demonstration of the overwhelming approval by the people of the state of the governor’s development strides so far and the call for him to continue in office.
As part of the mobilization for the fourth coming PDP campaigns in the State, youths of Bebuagbong village, Ipong Ward of Obudu LGA, Akan’s community, have sponsored billboards of Senator Ben Ayade in strategic places and areas to demonstrate their total support for the governor during the campaigns, and after the elections, bearing in mind that the governor is from that political Ward.
It would be recalled that several groups, opinion leaders, communities, traditional rulers youths and women’s groups trade unions and recently CAN have each endorsed the governor for second term.