*AYADE ALLEGES BLACKMAIL, JALINGO RUBBISHES CLAIM
As you read this, all is not well between Cross River State governor, Prof. Ben Ayade and politician cum publisher, Mr. Agba Jalingo.
Insiders say the former allies are now at daggers drawn with Ayade accusing Jalingo of severally attempting to blackmail him.
Although the governor’s ‘war’ is fought by his proxies who are regularly throwing allegations against Agba Jalingo, the CrossRiverWatch publisher is tackling them frontally and has raised a point by point reply to their various allegations.
Trouble started when some of the governor’s proxies published a report claiming that after benefitting so much from Ayade, Citizen Agba Jalingo had turned around to blackmail the governor.
According to them, “Today, Agba Jalingo who got all the benefits from Ayade has become the man fighting the Governor. They tabulated major favours which Ayade had granted to the publisher to include, “(1) Ayade paid millions of naira for IVF so Agba Jalingo’s wife can have a child (2) Ayade paid millions of naira for procurement of vehicles and other machines and recommended Agba Jalingo to take the commission that runs into millions of naira. (3) Agba Jalingo approached Gov Ayade to assist him set up his business office where he currently sit to do business. Ayade provided the funds…(4) and other sundry assistance from Ayade to Agba Jalingo”.
But Agba Jalingo has fired back at the governor alleging that the Cross River State helmsman was trying to demonise him instead of attending to issues of governance raised by the opposition.
Hear him: “Our party, the AAC has been on the toes of Governor Ayade to be accountable to the people of Cross River State and rather than responding to the issues we have been raising, that is the fantastic reply that the governor is giving through his proxies.
Now it is incumbent on me to respond. And like I promised God, I will never go personal because I have nothing personal with my Governor. I will at all times, stay with the issues.
*1. Millions for IVF.*
It is no secret that I have been happily married for 10years and haven’t had a child from my loins. The First Lady, Linda Ayade, who is a medical doctor, once in a while when we talked, will ask of my wife and show concern about our delayed conception. The delay is not an issue in our house because we understand clearly that is a task for God. I informed the First Lady one time that we were going for IVF and she offered to support. True to her word, she sent one million Naira to me as support for the IVF. I was grateful and I did tell her so. Anyone that has done IVF knows that the cost is not one million. But this is the governor’s response to public policy questions. If it’s not the governor, who told anyone that my family did IVF? Certainly not me and my wife.
2. *Ayade paid millions to procure vehicles and machines and recommended Jalingo for commission running to millions?*
Wao! Isn’t this amazing?
My company is an authorized distributor of Innoson Vehicles and parts. Last year, governor Ayade wanted to buy 126 motorbike ambulances from Innoson for the hard to reach areas in the state primary health care system. I was contacted and I initiated the transaction at the Innoson factory. Members of my team and I, did all that was necessary to get the transaction through until we were kept out of the picture. The government still bought the ambulances through another person. However they did it, I don’t know. The government later ordered one 17 seater Innoson bus from our company for NULGE. Not a kobo was added to the price of the bus other than what is on our marketing website. The vehicle was delivered on schedule, signed and collected by the transport officer in governor’s office.
I challenge anyone in government house to show proof of any deal, procurement or purchase that Ayade has done or recommended me for commission that was paid to me or my company other than what I have said above. It’s a challenge.
3. *Agba Jalingo approached Gov Ayade to assist him set up his business office where he currently sit to do business. Ayade provided the funds…..*
How funny….
CrossRiverWatch is eight years old.
The first rent for our office was paid in December 2013 and we opened the office in March 2014 after cleaning. Our lawyer for the rent agreement is Barrister James Ibor. He is still alive.
Ayade became governor May 29, 2015.
Did he pay for the office before he assumed office?
Do your calculations yourself.
Whoever is the proxy that wrote the platitudes also mentioned people that, according to him/her, Ayade has blessed with millions, who turned around to fight him and ended badly.
Venatius Ikem, Ntufam Fidelis Ugbo late Paul Adah, Goddie Akpama Prince Ojong Ayuk, were all listed.
Now let me, round up by saying a few things.
If Governor Ayade and the First Lady think that telling me that I haven’t got children will wear me out from calling his government out for the pervasive corruption, brazen stealing, land grabbing and intimidation of citizens who disagree with him, then they don’t know me one bit. They have rather fired me up to ask even the more difficult questions which the governor fears for, and I will ask them. He has just managed to tell me and Cross Riverians who have been following that, all that our party, the AAC has been alleging is true and the governor and his spin doctors don’t have answers other than going low and personal. But when they go low, I will stay high. I am a father of many nations and the nations shall rise to the chagrin of Governor Ayade. Unless there is no God.
Then again, someone needs to tell these people who think that Ayade did them a favor by giving them appointments that Ayade is not a Father Christmas. In the 2019 Budget of Qabalistic Densification, 6000,000,000 (six billion) was provided for “Financial Assitance.”
Does that sound like Ayade’s money?
Who has been benefitting from that provision in the budget in the past four years?
But each time the government of Cross River State gives assistance to citizens like, Paulo Ogbeche who recently went for a surgery, the governor’s aides run to the media to claim Ayade dashed someone money.
How should a citizen getting assistance from his government stop him/her from pointing out what that government is doing wrong?
Or has Governor Ayade converted a budgetary allocation that is meant for financial assistance for citizens of the State to slush funds from where he bribes people and expects them to keep a blind eye to his mismanagement afterwards?
Methinks that, rather than beat around the bush, Governor Ayade should have the courage to respond to the issues we are raising because we will not keep mute or be distracted by these his lame tactics. If there is anything that Ayade thinks I have done either with his government or elsewhere that is criminal, let him arrest me and take me before a court and get me convicted. Going personal is a diversionary tactic to distract the attention of Cross Riverians from the plundering of the state going on under his nose.
I want to tell members of our party in the State to remain focused and even more determined because the days ahead will be tough.
Now that Ayade has proven clearly that our allegations are true and that his government doesn’t have answers, we will now have to up our game and as a party, petition and invite relevant anti-corruption agencies to come and begin to look at the books.
This is a pledge I am making to my State with all sense of responsibility.
Thank you.
Yours Sincerely,
Citizen Agba Jalingo.”
