DAVID ODEY
Cross River State Governor, Prof Ben Ayade, on Monday extended the olive branch to his political opponents in the state after he won the perjury case instituted against him 9 December at the Supreme Court.
Speaking at an interdenominational thanksgiving service at the U.J. Esuene Stadium in Calabar, the state capital, Ayade called on all Cross Riverians, including his political opponents to join hands with him to move the state forward now that the court battle has ended.
Ayade, who promised to create thousands of jobs in January 2017 for youths and to empower women in the state, attributed his court victory to God and thanked everybody for their fervent prayers which led to his victory.
The Governor said “the challenges facing the state are enormous but God who gave me victory will see me through and by 2019 people will wonder when they see Cross River State after its transformation.”
He said prompt salary payment remains his number one priority, adding that his government will remain people-centred.
“My government is sensitive to the yearning of the people. It is people-centred. You will see a different Ayade in 2017,” he said.
He said he will expand the homeland security outfit to create more jobs.
According to him, President Muhammadu Buhari has again assured him of support for the construction of the super highway and the deep seaport in Bakassi.
In his closing remarks, he announced a donation of N50 million to the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) and another N30 million to the Muslim community.
During his sermon at the thanksgiving, Rev Malachi from Charles Luanga Catholic Church who represented the state Chairman of CAN, Archbishop Joseph Edra Ukpo, said the court battle came up so that God’s glory can be manifested in the lives of Governor Ayade and the people of Cross River State.
He said the battle was over and now it is time for governance, adding that there should be forgiveness and reconciliation and that the court case called for carefulness and proper documentation.
Earlier, Governor Ayade was received by a tumultuous crowd at the Margaret Ekpo Airport from where he drove in a motorcade amid drumming and dancing to the U.J. Esuene Stadium for the thanksgiving.
Long before his plane from Abuja touched down, thousands of supporters had gathered to welcome him under various auspices such as women groups, local government chapters of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), youth groups, cultural troupes, among others.
The groups carried banners with various inscriptions such as ‘When the righteous rule, the people rejoice’, ‘Think. Believe, Dream And Dare. The True Spirit of Ayadeism’, ‘No Vacancy 2019’, ‘Boki Local Government Welcomes Digital Governor, His Excellency, Senator (Professor) Ben Ayade’ among others.
National Assembly member, Senator Gershom Bassey and some House of Representatives members from the state also welcomed Ayade through a banner displayed by youths.
The State Deputy Governor, Prof Ivara Esu took part in the thanksgiving and read the first Bible passage. Other top government functionaries also attended the event.