Cross Rivers APC claim Gov. not prepared for governance

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Mr John Ochala, the Acting Chairman of the party in the state, gave APC’s verdict at a news conference on the side lines of this year’s Democracy Day celebration in Calabar on Sunday.

He also stated that his party observed Ayade’s shortcomings when he was barely six months in office.

According to him, Ayade had so far committed treasonable acts by inaugurating the

``Green Police’’ in place of forests guards as required by the state’s forestry laws.He said that the APC had expected Ayade to perform well for his party, the PDP, but were disappointed with his lack of vision and clear cut mission.

``We watched silently as he marked his first 100 days in office with no articulate documents or project by which one can measure his preparedness for governance or lack of it.

``After his first six months in office, tangible signs that Governor Ayade was not prepared for administration were beginning to be very obvious.

``Now it is one year down the road and I can confirm with all certainty that with Ayade our state is in very wrong hands, ’’ Ochalla stated.

He also alleged that Ayade also blundered by appointing ``28 commissioners and higher number of Special Assistants’’ when ``most states were exploring cost saving measures due to poor state of the economy’’.

``Section 214 (1) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria provides that 'there shall be a Police Force for Nigeria which shall be called the Nigeria Police Force.

``Subject to the provisions of this Section, no other Police Force shall be established for the federation or any part thereof.

``The creation of the 'Green Police' by Governor Ayade is therefore not only nconstitutional but treasonable. Moreover, under Cross River State Forestry Law, you have provision for Forest Guards.

``Which duties will the Green Police perform that will be different from those performed by the Forest Guards created by laws. Which law establishes the Green Police?’’, Ochala asked.

He also described the appointment of Mr Emmanuel Ibeshi as Envoy to the African Development Bank as a treasonable act.

``External Affairs is on the exclusive legislative list in the second schedule to the constitution.

``By the appointment, the Governor is purporting to appropriate and have indeed appropriated the powers of the Federal Government.’’ He said that if the APC wins Cross River in 2019, the party would not fail in governance.

``As Acting Chairman of APC, it is my firm belief that once our party wins the State in 2019, it will be a different ball game entirely.

``We shall come ready to govern and with our blueprint well outlined and set for implementation, there is no way we would fail Cross Riverians the way Mr Governor and his party, PDP, have done."

Reacting to the allegation, Ayade said that his primary focus in the first three years of his administration would include ensuring the completion of projects embarked upon by his predecessor, Sen. Liyel Imoke.

One of such projects, the governor said, is the monorail to connect the Tinapa Business Resort at Adiabo and the Calabar International Conference Centre.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) also reports that Ayade’s signature projects include the Calabar Garment Factory, the 260 kilometre Superhighway and the Bakassi Deep Seaport.