Monday, as the immediate past governor of
Cross River State, Senator Liyel Imoke
disclosed that persons including former
President Olusegun Obasanjo, who he
served as Minister, never supported his bid
to govern the state.
Imoke, who completed his two terms on
Friday, May 29, 2015, while reviewing
his eight-year tenure at an interaction
with journalists, recalled how over 10
members of his executive cabinet came
to him, soliciting his support for their
ambition.
He also recalled approaching Obasanjo
in whose administration he served as
Minister of Power, to inform him that
his people wants succeed then Governor
Donald Duke and that on three times, he
was turned down.
Imoke noted that how he finally got
Obasanjo to say yes to his request “is a
story for another day.”
According to him, that was why he
became determined thereafter not to
ever say no to anybody’s aspirations.
Continuing, he noted that during the
Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)
primaries in the state all who came to
solicit or inform him of their aspiration
were not turned down, adding that his
experience “helped by creating a level
down and allowing wide consultations
which was an exciting experience to
many.”
Before the latest revelation, there were
insinuations in the former governor’s
political camp that it was his
predecessor- Donald Duke, that never
wanted him as governor.
Also corroborating Imoke’s claim, James
Aniyom, former Chief of Staff to Duke,
who served as Commissioner for
Agriculture under the Imoke
administration, explained: “I want to
state categorically that it was OBJ (ex-
President Obasanjo) and some of the
Ministers in the same Obasanjo cabinet
that warned Donald (Duke) not to allow
Imoke succeed him, because they felt he
performed abysmally as Minister. I can
name them and have told several people
what transpired during this period. As
Governor, Donald was confused since
Liyel had told him severally that he was
not interested in becoming Governor.
The task was therefore for us to look for
an alternative, but still work on
convincing Liyel Imoke to run. This story
can be confirmed from Alex Egbona and
even Gershom Bassey, who is Liyel’s best
friend now.
“I am happy that finally, Liyel was
convinced to run and I, as Chief Staff
provided all the logistics for Liyel’s
election. I am surprise today that even
those who were participants to all that
transpired now pretend that it never
happened. Unlike the paucity of funds
recorded during Ayade’s (the new
governor) campaign, Donald Duke
ensured that Liyel Imoke’s campaign
went on very well and was well funded,”
he added.
Meanwhile, in what appears to be a sign
of what is to come, new Cross River State
governor, Senator Ben Ayade, on
Monday locked out civil servants in the
governor’s office who were not at their
duty post as early as 8.am.
Accompanied by the State’s Head of
Service, the governor who assumed duty
on that Monday, his first day in office,
directed that the gates be locked at
8.15am, as part of measures to restore
discipline and ensure the civil service is
result-oriented.
Governor Ayade said the action was to
serve as deterrence to others, warning
that all heads of Ministries, Departments
and Agencies, must live up to their
responsibilities by ensuring that civil
servants acted in line with prescribed
rules to deliver efficient service to the
people.
He frowned at what he called intolerable
laxity on the part of the civil servants,
warning that “if heads of MDAs could
report to work as early as 8am, I see no
reason why the subordinates should not
be in their respective offices on or
before that time. For those who are late
today, we will pardon them but from
tomorrow, all late comers will be locked
out and sanctioned accordingly.”
He maintained that as a successful
businessman, he would not fold his arms
and watch civil servants who are
supposed to serve the people relegate
their work to the back ground, saying: “I
am a change agent. In my younger years,
I used to be addressed as a system
purifier and I am here to do just that,
focus exactly on production, expand the
horizon and economic benefits and
potentials of my people.
“It is only private organisation that runs
for profit but government’s profit is the
social safety net, the welfare and
wellbeing of our people. My profit
therefore is the number of people I
employ; my service to my people is the
number of people I have engaged.”
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