By Ekpeyong NSA
Nearly four years after the historic 2023 elections, former governor of Cross River State, Sen. Ben Ayade has not stopped the blackmail against Governor Otu.
Ayade is yet to come to terms that Otu is in charge of Cross River State and has achieved in three years what he could not achieve in eight years.
Ayade should stop blaming others but himself. He brought the calamity he is now facing upon himself.
Going back to history lane, Ayade Knowing he had no chance to win the 2022 APC presidential primary, allegedly decided to extort money from other aspirants falsely promising to step down for them.
He did not stop at that, he also shortchanged Cross River Delegates, keeping most of the funds for himself while giving them a paltry sum.
He had arrogantly told delegates to ignore "deep pocket" candidates and vote for him instead, based on his intellect, a clear attempt to undermine Bola Ahmed Tinubu, then leading aspirant in the APC Presidential Primaries
Again funds provided by the APC Presidential campaign for Cross River State were never used for their intended purpose, rather, Ayade donated part of those funds to an opposition candidate, simply because he believed the late former President Muhammadu Buhari supported another candidate and not Tinubu
This was not just disloyalty; it is deliberate financial sabotage aimed at frustrating the chances of APC in the state.
It was this action by Ayade that directly caused President Tinubu to lose Cross River State
Despite the President’s national victory, Ayade’s betrayal, withholding resources, diverting money to rivals, and running a self-interested delegate strategy, ensured that Cross River did not deliver for Tinubu.
The result: the President lost a state he should have been competitive in, purely because of Ayade’s greed and ego.
Ayade lost the 2023 Senate election to Senator Jarigbe Agom Jarigbe even while he was sitting governor, an almost unheard-of defeat that proves his utter rejection by Cross River North voters.
Yet instead of accepting responsibility, he blames Governor Otu and Senator Godswill Akpabio for his own failure. That is classic deflection. Ayade acted alone and should not drag governor Otu or the Senate President into his conspiracy job.
It is not about Governor Otu or Akpabio’s influence but Ayade’s untrustworthiness stands on its own:
He defrauded fellow aspirants and mismanaged
the Presidential campaign funds.
He actively worked against the President’s interest in his own state. After lost his own election, he now tries to scapegoats others.
Any President, looking at these facts, would conclude that Ayade is a liability, not an ally. The blackmail attempts would not change the record.
Ayade has already been rejected by his people and rightly, by anyone who values loyalty and integrity in politics.
*Ekpenyong NSA is an APC Chieftain and public affairs analyst based in Cross River State