From Judex Okoro, Calabar
Cross River PDP Renaissance Group, has taken a swipe at Governor Ben Ayade’s continued absence from
Southern Governor’s Forum meeting and his tacit support for open grazing of cows.
The group also frowns at alleged plot by Ayade-led adminsrration to sell off over forty government-owned assets including the garment factory, the cocoa processing plant and Obudu International Airport allegedly to its cronies and proxies in the name of privatisation.
The group in a statement made available to newsmen shortly after its meeting held in Calabar on Friday, and signed by Rt Hon Efa Esua, representing Calabar Municipality in the State House of Assembly and Comrade Asu Okang, the immediate past commissioner for information and orientation, and different other key stakeholders of the party, decried the frequent oversees trip by the governor, which according to them has no direct bearing on the economy of the state in terms of attracting direct foreign investment to the state.
They described as unfortunate the desperate moves by government to silence the voice of opposition in the state as seen in the stoppage of statutory allowances of PDP law makers in the House of Assembly and pension allowances of former governors and the Deputies as well as continued security threats to members of the opposition Party.
The statement reads in part: “We frown at continued absence of Governor Ben Ayade from the committee of The Southern Governor’s Forum. This has no doubt alienated the state from the various regional integration processes and interests, especially as it concerns VAT control, the agenda of southern President come 2023 and the anti-open grazing law, culminating into the rising fear of insecurity of Cross Riverians.
“The governor should be reminded, that by simple geography, Cross River is and will remain a veritable part of southern Nigeria, and therefore calls on Goveror Ayade to retrace his steps by re-integrating the state in solidarity with other southern states in our common interest and the region in general.
“We call on the governor to rather task himself on alternative ways of generating revenue for the state rather than embarking on some futile overseas trips that have no direct bearing on the economy of the state as it cannot be seen to stand in isolation in the current debate, championed by mostly Southern Governors,on who should control VAT.”
Regretting that Cross River is still amongst the remaining three southern states, whose Houses of Assembly are yet to consider or pass the anti-open grazing law, they pointed out that fourteen out of seventeen southern states inclusive of the traditional APC states have already implemented the decision of the Southern Governors Forum on the ban on open grazing in their domains.
The group, therefore, calls on the Cross River House of Assembly to, as a matter of urgency, join the committee of other southern states to domesticate the anti- open grazing law in the interest of regional security.
On the on-going privatisation exercise, the group stated that “it is a grand plan by the government to sell over forty government-owned assets including the Cross River garment factory, the cocoa processing plant and others,to its cronies and proxies in the name of privatization.”
The group alleged that it has it on good auhtourity that there are plans to convert the people’s assets including
the ongoing Obudu International hospital, the Canadian school, the teachers Continued Training Institute in Biase, which were built with tax payers money to personal properties, warning that the unsuspecting members of the public to be aware and steer clear from any transaction with Cross River government regarding the sale of its assets as any one or group of individuals will be doing so at their own peril.
The Renaissance Group further stated that it shall employ all legitimate means to ensure the safety and security of their members and indeed all Cross Riverians as relevant security agencies have been duly notified.
While waiting for the determination of the court on the issues bordering on the legality of defection of the Governor and some members of the Cross River House of Assembly to the APC, the new group called on all their supporters across the state to remain calm in the face of all the provocations by government and its agents.