Joseph Odok|6 April 2017
There is a completed plan by Governor Ayade of Cross River State to rectify the appointments of caretaker committee through the rubber stamped 8th Cross River State House of Assembly.
It will be recalled that Senator Ayade Benedict had been forced to fix a date for local government election through a suit instituted by APC Cross River State by her lawyer Chief Utum Eteng.
Ayade known to lead through compunction and high handed illegality has concluded plans to jettison democracy and impose illegally constituted caretaker committees. This is not surprising because Ayade over time has been known to be consistent only in lying and deceiving gullible people of Cross River State
After a recent meeting with the Speaker Cross River State House of Assembly, Ayade had concluded plans to follow the part of Aregbesola who had rectified his illegal appointment of caretaker committee through an act of the State House of Assembly.
The reason for the planned shift of the Local Government election is purely selfish. The political calculations seems not to favour the governor who is afraid of being disgraced if he goes ahead with the conduct of local government election. This fear is not unconnected with his growing unpopularity: Ayade's plenty noise have never yielded any completed project. Embarrassingly, the governor cannot even maintain the water board or clear outstanding arrears of salaries of a greater percentage of the Cross River State workforce and pensioners.
The fear to go ahead with the conduct of local government election was also heightened by the fact that the Speaker of Cross River State House of Assembly Dishonourable John Gaul Lebo has lost grip of his people. Both Senator Benedict Ayade and John Gaul Lebo are terribly afraid of public rejection if they decide to go ahead with the local government election.
Another reason for possible plans to shift the local government election is not unconnected with the greed of the governor who is not ready to spend any resources to fund the elections and thereafter provide council Chairmen with statutory allowances and official cars.
With some governors jettisoning the Supreme Court ruling that pronounced the setting up of caretaker committee as illegal, Ayade seems more disposed to follow the part of illegality and irrationality rather than the path of democracy. The major problem of Nigeria seems to be the brazen abuse of the rule of law by most Nigerian Governor's.
It is sad that the decision of Ayade to give a seal to his illegal appointment of caretaker committee through an Act of the State House of Assembly is coming after a court ruling declaring Mr. Ayade's caretaker committee as illegal and compelling the governor to conduct election within 90 days after the judgement.
With the ruling delivered most aspirants were made to spend huge sum of money to purchase forms. Besides the purchase of forms most aspirants have been made to also spend much money doing consultations as a build up to the local government election.
Can this illegality be allowed by APC Cross River State? Only time shall tell.
Joseph Odok
Social Change Agent
