Governor of Cross River State, Prof Ben Ayade, has clinched the All Progressives Congress (APC) ticket to vie for the Cross River North Senatorial seat in the 2023 election.
Ayade emerged through a fresh primary conducted on Thursday, July 14, 2022, as prescribed by the provisions of the new Electoral Act after the voluntary withdrawal of the previous candidate, Martins Orim.
The primary, held at the Ogoja Local Government headquarters, saw the incumbent Governor emerged unopposed.
The chairman of the electoral committee, Sameera Tabo, who declared Ayade the winner, said he polled 252 votes out of the 255 votes cast, while three votes were invalid.
While making his acceptance speech, Ayade thanked the delegates for electing him and explained that, “after running for the office of the president of Nigeria, I returned home and then came under tremendous pressure from my people.
“They said I did very well when I was a Senator from 2011 to 2015 and insisted I go back and today I have answered their call. Of course, they recognised that this country requires a legislator that has both executive and legislative experience.”
“I am very experienced, I know the challenges of our people, and I possess all the essential elements that will help us make the appropriate laws and legislations that will change the narrative of our people.
“More importantly, it is imperative to work with the incoming APC president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to reconstruct the concept of development within the African context. Development is about the people and in a sluggish, developing economy, emphasis cannot be put on infrastructure alone.
“We will target people, medium scale industries, small scale businesses will be put under sufficient grants and support until they begin to migrate away from poverty.
“So I am happy that I am going back to the legislature where I can add additional value to the next government and this country,” he said.
Ayade has now joined 14 other serving and former APC governors who are battling for senate seats.
