Chairman Davandy Group of Companies and founder Ekondo Micro Finance Bank, Asuquo Ekpenyong has said that it is naturally difficult to take over power from an incumbent governor without his blessings.
Ekpenyong disclosed this while hosting family, friends, associates and party stalwarts to a reception in his residence in Calabar to mark his 73rd birthday.
He emphatically said that those forming alliance against the sitting governor are not wise because “you cannot take power from an incumbent governor when you are not in power.”
According to him, some people who have derailed are currently running helter-skelter behind closed doors begging to be incorporated back into the scheme of things to be in Governor Ben Ayade’s good books ahead of 2023.
Addressing a cross session of the Odukpani PDP stalwarts, he admonished them not to allow themselves to be deceived by desperate politicians who are being unnecessarily overzealous in their quest for political aggrandisement, saying that they must give Governor Ben Ayade the unflinching support required to transit effectively into 2023.
He reiterated also that in the political landscape of Cross River State there is no other power compared with that of a sitting governor and according to him, all Ayade’s detractors are fully aware by now that they are dancing to the gallery.
He encouraged all PDP stalwarts across the state to be consistent in their formidable support for the Ayade administration because there is no family that will not have disagreements but what is important is the ability to sort out the issues within a reasonable time frame to prevent “those characters with their dangling insecurities from causing the PDP family that has been built with so much sacrifice and difficulties over the years to disintegrate because of their personal ambitions.”
Ekpenyong also charged the youth to prove their credibility to their generation by not allowing themselves to be used to cause political mischief. He urged them to continue to use the platform that Governor Ben Ayade has given to them in his dispensation to be true leaders of today and tomorrow.
Speaking on the performance of the Ben Ayade administration in the last six years, he noted that the negative publicity stunt that Ayade is not performing is orchestrated by antecedent malice and the pull-them-down syndrome in the Cross River State political landscape.
He reiterated that “now” is the time to reclaim the Cross River State political space by forming alliance across the state.
He therefore, urged Governor Ayade to rise to the occasion to resolve all political differences, because according to him, “when you give room for misunderstanding to prevail for too long it gives room for others to penetrate.”
