Cross River State governor Ben Ayade on Sunday celebrated Christmas with people at the grassroots at his country home in Kakum, Obudu local government area of the state.
The event attracted thousands of people from across the Northern senatorial district of the state.
At the event, Ayade who is the All Progressives Congress, APC, senatorial candidate for the district, said his decision to spend the yuletide with the people was in line with his welfarist bend and “also to interact with and feel the pulse of my people in Northern Cross River and ensure that they are not left out in this festive season.”
The governor maintained that he has done so much for the senatorial district and need not campaign in the area for his senatorial ambition as his achievements will naturally speak for him.
He used the occasion to oversee the distribution of thousands of bags of rice produced from the ultramodern rice mill in Ogoja.
Ayade said, “I don’t think it is right for me to campaign in the Northern Senatorial District because this is a senatorial district, I have built several factories for. You have the rice factory in Ogoja, the roofing sheets factory in Yala, the vegetable oil factory in Bekwarra and the Biscuits Factory in Obudu.
“In addition, I built the first British Canadian University in Nigeria in Obudu; I built the Obudu German Hospital which is the best in Nigeria. I have done a dual carriageway stretching through the heart of the northern senatorial district from Obanliku up to Yala; so every single local government in Cross River North has a dual carriage road.
“We have the international Cargo airport to take advantage of the solid minerals deposit at the Obudu Cattle Ranch and to facilitate patronage of our British Canadian University and the Obudu German hospital.”
The governor who represented Northern Cross River in the Senate between 2011 and 2015 said he would rather campaign for other candidates of the party in the senatorial district rather than for himself because “what the people of the Northern Senatorial District never dreamt of having, I have provided and anchored, so to come before you to campaign for a vote would be embarrassing. I allow you to judge me.
“I will never campaign for Ayade, let my work as Governor of Cross River State and what I have done for the people of Cross River North campaign for me.”
He stressed that he was delighted to celebrate Christmas with the people, saying “the entire local governments that constitute Cross River North have gathered here today to celebrate Christmas with me and the idea of doing this is to demonstrate the unity and commitment that we are one and that the return of Ayade back to the Senate is a noble task.”
He told the elated constituents that “we are giving out three bags of rice to each polling unit of Cross River North and an envelope to ensure that every citizen has rice to share with their families. We used polling units because they are close to the basic family units, so it is by family units that we are distributing this rice.”
