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Cross River State has three former elected governors who are still alive. Governor Clement Ebri (NRC, January 1992 to November 17, 1993). Born 11 December 1952, Chief Ebri became governor three days to his 40th birthday. And left under 42 years. He is from Yakurr LGA and he is alive and is the current Chairman of the Board of the Nigerian Biotechnology Institute.
Donald Duke, was Governor of Cross River State, from 29 May 1999 to 29 May 2007. Born 30 September 1961, he became governor of Cross River State at 38 years old and left the office at 46 years old. He is from Akpabuyo LGA in Cross River State and he is still active in politics and sits on the board of several companies.
Governor Liyel Imoke who took the reins from Duke on the 29th of May 2007 was 46 years old and he handed over to Ayade on May 29, 2015, when he was 54 years old. He is from Abi LGA in Cross River State. He is still active in politics and it was rumored when he was leaving office in 2014 that, he or his wife, Obioma Imoke had interest in the Cross River Central Senatorial seat, but that was never to be.
Governor Ayade who took over from Imoke in 2015 was 47 years old and the oldest to have held that office. He will be leaving the office May 29, 2023 at 55 years old. Ayade is from Obudu LGA and wants to retire to the Northern Cross River senatorial seat which he held from 2011 to 2015, before becoming governor.
Our governors have always come young and early into office and left early with so much energy still left in them. But it is not our style in Cross River to reward them with national assembly seats after their service to us. We naturally expect them to move on and confront new frontiers. And they are doing quite well.
Governor Ayade should take that honorable path of his predecessors and desist from furthering to embarrass himself in his quest to run for Senate a second time. After failing woefully to finish any functional project as governor, specifically in Cross River North, it smacks of "see finish" for such a failure to turn around and want to use the northern senatorial seat as retirement benefit.
The fear of living without the paraphernalia of government after May 29, next year is horrifying and we all know. A man with such over sized ego will definitely be paranoid but the reality is that, he has come to that point where he has to deal with it, for real. In 263 days, the lights will go off and the balcony will be empty. The sirens will no longer blare and the phones will no longer ring as often. Yet, the senatorial seat of an entire impoverished region cannot be the pill for that impending trauma.
Where we come from, we don't reward those who have served us as governors with senatorial seats, not even those who have impoverished us, we send them forth to discover new frontiers.
Yours sincerely,
Citizen Agba Jalingo.
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