By Richard Oyama
I just stumbled upon a video that features the former Governor of Cross River State, Sen. Liyel Imoke. In this video he was campaigning and made so many fallacious statements
Well, I don’t know Sen. Imoke as one suffering from Dementia. But it is really a pity that he has forgotten how Ayade emerged candidate in 2015.
It is no news that Ayade was not Imoke’s preferred candidate in 2014. When Jeddy Agba replaced the delegates list, Ayade was the saviour Imoke needed to battle Jeddy, financially and physically
Imoke prepared a delegates list, Ayade made no input on that list. He was fully prepared and equipped to deliver his preferred candidate which was not Ayade, until Jeddy came in with the fight
Imoke who should naturally grow into the status of a statesman is busy campaigning for someone he sacked as commissioner when he was Governor. Same Imoke is campaigning for Bassey Ewa he did everything to suffocate his 3rd term ambition. He (Imoke) once said he hates Bassey Ewa’s style because he’s too bloody. A man that lacks character.
Unlike Imoke, Donald Duke has shown more maturity. Imoke spends so much time tarnishing the image of a man that is struggling nothing with him. Ayade is not from Central, he is not running for Senate to represent Central Senatorial Districr, so what is Imoke’s problem with Ayade. Clearly envy and jealousy.
Ayade left PDP for Imoke after so much underplay to refuse Ayade his 2nd term ticket, Ayade never appeared on camera talking bad about Imoke. Imoke lost the party structures in the state to someone he sacked as commissioner. Imoke is sad, he’s diverting attention from the fact that he’s no longer in control of any political structure in Cross River State
Who will forget the popular acronym used in describing Imoke while in office “Sleeping Governor”. He slept in office while an appeal court sitting in Calabar sacked him from office twice.
If Imoke is apologising for bringing Ayade, who should then apologise for the substandard projects he built, the oil wells we lost as a state while he was Governor. When is Imoke going to apologise for the Mbube road he constructed that washed off even before he shamelessly commissioned the road. When is he apologising for the Afrike Road which did not last for a month before washing off. When is he apologising for the substandard primary health centres he built with inferior materials that are completely falling off.
Imoke should show us 1 legacy project he built that is still standing till date. Oh please don’t mention CICC, that was a cash cow for Imoke. The cost of the project is 10 times the actual/real cost. He inflated the cost of the project for his retirement benefit.
Imoke prefers the style of Government he ran, that had just few person on the table feeding fat as against Ayade’s policy of ensuring that more persons are brought into government. Imoke ran a government with just Gershom, Eko Atu, Nzan Ogbe. Through Ayade’s thousands of appointments, many are today family men, business owners and graduates.
The Judiciary was on strike for 12 months with Imoke as Governor, when will Imoke apologise for that? He increased the salaries of traditional rulers and made it effective when Ayade takes over.
The role of Government is to create an economy, a business climate for industries to thrive, it is not to run these factories. Ayade has created a non existent economy for Cross River State, it is not in his position to run these factories. The factories are there! Go and verify. Liyel said it himself when he visited the Rice Mill in Ogoja, so what has now changed?
Is Imoke apologising for bringing a man that has turned Cross River to an industrial city? Will Imoke go to Ogoja and tell the people of Ogoja “sorry” for bringing a man that gave them the best biggest Rice mill in Nigeria? Will he go to Ikom and tell the people of Ikom sorry for giving them a world class Cocoa processing factory. Ayade has built the factories, all fully operational.
Imoke should learn to be a statesman.