Senator representing Cross River North, Jarigbe Agom Jarigbe, has accused former governor, Senator Ben Ayade of distorting facts and misleading the public over his political standing and role in the 2023 elections.
Jarigbe in a post on Facebook on Monday shortly after Ayade said he had stepped down from the 2027 Senate bid dismissed Ayade’s claims as “lies,” insisting that the former governor no longer holds political relevance in the state.
The former governor had stated, “Mr President wants me to withhold my Senate ambition. I yield to his request even as I pour tears of ill treatment and agony,” he said.
He however, suggested that “Mr President may not be aware that the beneficiaries of his order are people armed against us with guns and machetes in the collation centres,” he stated.
Recounting his contributions to the All Progressives Congress, Ayade noted, “I worked assiduously for the party and delivered almost 40,000 votes above PDP in the Presidential election, first in the history of our State.”
He however lamented, “For over three years, I have been sidelined without appointment.”
Expressing frustration over being asked to step down, the former governor said, “Yielding ticket to a newest entrant from opposition just under five months is a spiritual murder.”
He however urged, “Let us tarry and honour Mr President even as we still appeal for the review of his order.”
He also instructed his supporters “not buy the form as I’ll be guilty of going against the order of Mr President.”
Ayade maintained that, “We would support all our APC candidates… and join hands with our President and Governor to deliver APC at all levels in the State.”
But Jarigbe dismissed Ayade revealing that, “A man who admonished me for dressing in Hausa traditional attire and described it as a display of split personality cannot claim to be a lover of Muslims more than me,” Jarigbe adding, “He showed resentment towards Muslims and their traditional attire.”
The senator argued that electoral outcomes contradict Ayade’s claims of influence, noting that he secured broad support across the district, including from Muslim voters.
“The Muslims in Cross River North voted for me against Ayade. He is known for ethnic jingoism,” he stated.
Providing context from previous elections, Jarigbe said, “We defeated Senator Ayade in Cross River North while I was in the PDP. We won the Senate seat, two House of Representatives seats, and four House of Assembly seats,” he said.
“As a sitting governor, he only won his immediate constituency. We are not political weaklings. We come with votes because we have worked for our people.”
Jarigbe also challenged Ayade’s assertion that he worked for President Bola Tinubu in the 2023 election, saying, “He contested the presidential primary and lost woefully to PBAT. He refused to step down.”
“In the general election, he lost Cross River State to the opposition. Why is he lying?”
The senator further criticised Ayade’s political decisions, including his bid to return as governor after leaving the Senate, despite what he described as an expectation that the governorship should rotate to the northern part of the state.
“He feels too entitled, even when he is of no political value at the moment,” Jarigbe said.
On party politics, Jarigbe alleged that Ayade defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC) only after losing control of the party structure in the state.
“He left PDP after we collected the structure from him. He felt empty, displaced and dejected. He did not leave for the love of APC,” he claimed.
He further accused Ayade of looting state resources saying, “He emptied our treasury and now wants another opportunity to deprive our people of effective representation.”
Jarigbe expressed confidence that political appointments under the current administration would be based on merit rather than what he described as “unrealistic ambitions.”
“The President will give appointments to realistic people, not those who build castles in the air,” he said.
The lawmaker also dismissed claims of zoning in the Cross River North senatorial district, insisting that, “There has never been zoning in the senatorial seat of Cross River North. Did I get to the Senate through zoning? No!” he said.
He further taunted Ayade over his social media engagement, alleging that the former governor restricted public comments on a recent post.
“Senator Ayade just made a post and blocked people from commenting. I dare him to unblock and see the reaction from the public,” he added.
Jarigbe however called on Ayade to align with the current leadership of the APC stressing that, “No matter how you embellish a lie, it will not become the truth. Senator Ayade should join hands with the leadership of the state and work for the party, just as we worked for him.
