Isaac Samuel
Former Cross River State Governor, Senator Ben Ayade, has claimed that President Bola Tinubu directed him to withdraw from the Cross River North senatorial race ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Ayade said he was invited to Abuja for what he described as a “high-level national consultation” with the Presidency, after which he was informed of the request to step down from the contest.
The Cross River North senatorial seat is currently occupied by Jarigbe Jarigbe of the APC, who is serving his second term after becoming a senator through a 2021 by-election.
Before his Senate election, Mr Jarigbe served two terms in the House of Representatives between 2015 and 2021. He is reportedly seeking another term in the Senate.
Ayade, who governed Cross River from 2015 to 2023, defected from the PDP to the APC in 2021, a move seen by many as key to the APC’s eventual dominance in the state.
But the former governor in a statement on Monday said: “From the sequence of events that followed my return, Mr President wants me to withhold my Senate ambition. I yield to his request even as I pour tears of ill treatment and agony.
“I trust that Mr President may not be aware that the people who turned our churches against Ayade and all of us in APC over the Muslim Muslim ticket and accused us of islamisation of Cross River State are the beneficiaries of his instruction
+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(police records available) on the day of Mr President’s election.
The former governor said he complied with the alleged directive out of respect for the President and the office he occupies, but expressed deep personal disappointment over the development.
Ayade said the decision had political and emotional implications for him, particularly given his long-standing involvement in the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
He recalled his role in strengthening the APC in Cross River State, insisting he was among the pioneers of the party’s dominance in the South-South region.
“I was the first APC governor in the whole of the South-South Nigeria that built the new APC that we enjoy today,” he said.
The former governor also restated his contribution to President Tinubu’s 2023 presidential campaign, noting that he had consistently supported the President’s political ambition.
Ayade further alleged that some individuals who had previously opposed the APC during the 2023 elections were now beneficiaries of the directive, a situation he said was “traumatic” for his political camp.
He claimed that his federal constituency had been occupied by his opponent for about two decades, adding that allowing another term would amount to an extended stay in office for the incumbent.
Recalling past political contests, Ayade said he had been pressured to step down from electoral races in 2007 and 2015, but maintained that he eventually emerged victorious in subsequent political battles.
Despite expressing dissatisfaction, the former governor urged his supporters to remain calm and not proceed with the purchase of nomination forms, saying he did not want to be seen as acting against the President’s directive.
Citing biblical references, Ayade said obedience to constituted authority remained a guiding principle in his decision.
“Let us err on the side of caution than to be seen to flaunt the order of Mr President,” he said.
However, he appealed for a review of the situation, insisting that he remained loyal to the APC and deserved recognition for his contributions to the party and national politics.
