Cross River Transparency Network
International, (CRTNI) has called on the Cross River State House of Assembly to
immediately commence impeachment process of Governor Ben Ayade for over alleged
illegal foreign trips.
The group while addressing a press conference in Calabar
alleged that since assumption of office, Governor Ayade had traveled to
overseas more than any governor in the history of this country under the
pretext of looking for investors for the State.
The coordinator of the group,
Comrade Jonathan Agbor, said it has become imperative for the State House of
Assembly to impeach Ayade for violating constitutional provisions of frequently
traveling abroad without handing over to his deputy just as he squanders state
funds on such trip.
Agbor said, “Since Ayade came on
board, he has spent more days in Abuja and abroad than he had spent in the
state, adding that out of 365 days in a year he spends less than 100 days in
office.”
Consequent upon this, the
Governor according to them has abandoned his constructional duties of
administering the state to the deputy governor, Prof Ivara Esu, just as he left
unattended to, major issues that needed his attention.
The Coordinator, who claimed that
the group was committed to ensuring transparency of governance in the state,
stated that in the cause of the traveling, Ayade had spent millions of naira of
tax-payers money on foreign trips.
Insisting that such travels have
crippled socio-economic activities of the state, he said that the state had
signed over one hundred (100) MoUs abroad and with little or no benefit to the
common man.
According to him, it is quite unconstitutional for the governor to
have traveled abroad since July 23, 2017 in the name of sourcing for investors
that never came and called on stakeholders to also rise against the
rule-from-abroad style of Ayade.
The group said: “Ayade has
committed impeachable offences including abandoning the state for over one
month now and travelled abroad. His long absence has crippled administration at
all levels.
He has not been implementing the budget since even when he swore an
oath to protect and uphold the principles of the constitution which includes
working within the framework of the constitution. But we can make bold to say
that 90 per cent of the projects implemented by Ayade’s administration is not
in the budget”.
“Ayade has also made it difficult
for his aides, commissioners and civil service to function due to non-payment
of impress to agencies, commissions and ministries even when some of them
generate revenues, but he spends millions of naira globe-trotting. Ayade runs a
close system whereby only him and his close families led by Frank Ayade can
have access to contracts.
We can tell you authoritatively that most
commissioners don’t even know how contracts are awarded as they are discreetly
reverted to Frank who does internal bidding and selection processes while the
paper advert is a smokescreen”.
“In view of all these, we call on
the Hose of Assembly and the critical stakeholders to please intervene and
invoke relevant provisions to impeach Ayade. Failure to do that the group might
be forced to organise a one-million man march to protest against
mal-administration and illegal traveling. OurMumumuDonDo”
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He's trying to win a honorary award of the worst governor ever in the history of cross River. This recent tenure of administration is the worst I can lay my hands on. I pity the common man who's belle is used as a soccer in the hands of our politicians
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