Asset Recovery: Otu Not Witch-hunting Ayade – C/River APC Chair

Chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in Cross River State, Alphonsus Eba Ogar, has dispelled rumours that the state Governor Prince Bassey Otu, is witch-hunting his predecessor and immediate  past governor, Prof Ben Ayade.

Ogar said as APC chairman in the state, he would not allow anyone to come between the immediate past Ayade and his successor, Otu.

The party chairman stated this known in Calabar while commenting  on the sidelines of a reception in honour of the second doctorate degree  in law obtained by the state’s education commissioner Senator Dr Stephen Adi Odey.

Recall that the leadership of Cross River State House of Assembly recently said the recovery of construction equipment from some unnamed people in the state was paramount to the assembly, a declaration which sparked a rumour that it was targeted at the immediate past governor.

Reacting however to the rumour, Eba said, “There is no witch-hunt by anybody, I don’t know what you are saying about recovery. 

“I have seen words that are not appropriate, you find government equipment in a government construction site, the word used is recovery but that it was stolen is completely out of place and whoever uses such words should withdraw it completely.

“Words that are inappropriate should not be used. The House of Assembly has its own powers to do whatever they are doing; nobody will defend fraud.

“Government has been made more open but please the idea of saying that anybody recovered any stolen property in an equipment that was found in a government construction site does not arise in the first place. Nobody should say that the present governor is witchaunting the former governor.

“The former governor’s number one man is Governor Otu, and for a man who sacrificed so much to bring Governor Otu, he is a man with a good heart and I know he appreciates Ayade. I will not allow anyone, not even the devil, to come between them. The party under my leadership also will not allow that to happen,” Eba said.

The party chairman said Sen. Stephen Odey is an inspiration to people like him, adding that as a party leader, he is one man that has been influenced by the Education commissioner.

He urged the younger generation to work hard so that they can be like the commissioner who has seven degrees and just bagged a second doctorate degree. He described Odey as like a barometer to measure success.