Ayade Gives The Only Condition For Accepting APC Consensus Candidate

Cross River State Governor, Ben Ayade

Cross River State Governor, Professor Ben Ayade, on Tuesday, has said that he won’t accept to step down for any consensus candidate if the process of selection is unfair and unjust.

He said this during an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Tuesday.

According to the governor, the decision of the All Progressives Congress supersedes his personal decision, provided the process is transparent and fair enough.

He said, “In a scenario where the party creates very classical elucidations of the basis and selection criteria that I find completely adequate, I will have no objection.

“If the basis for narrowing down to somebody on the consensus basis and I don’t happen to be the one, I need to understand the selection criteria to explain how they arrived at Mr A and not B. If I feel that is a fair process, of course, I will yield to the supremacy of the party.

“I am a team player and I don’t have any qualms with that. But I must see that it is fair and transparent. I know that capacity will be one of the key factors in consideration.”

Ayade had on April 26 he had secured the approval of the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), to hold consultations leading up to unveiling his plans to contest for the presidential ticket of the All Progressives Congress.

He also declared to rally behind former President Goodluck Jonathan if he (Jonathan) emerges as the APC’s Presidential flag bearer ahead of next year’s election.

Ayade disclosed this to State House Correspondents shortly after his meeting with the President at Aso Rock Villa.

He said the President gave him the approval to begin consultations. Quizzed about his chances of winning against Jonathan if the former President joins the race, Ayade said, “I have great respect for President Jonathan. So, I have no challenges whatsoever.

“I believe that the party leadership will decide the appropriate candidate that will take our party to victory and so if you heard me well, I am just part of the family, absolutely loyal to the President, seeking to run for president and I’m running.

“At any point in time the political leadership of my party, the APC, feels that (former) President Jonathan is the appropriate candidate that will take us to victory, I will turn my support for him.

“I am never ever going to fight the establishment, the institution, the aristocracy, the spiritual vortex of which God has placed a leader in the country. I will never question the powers of the leader of the country.

“I have never played the politics of antagonism or fights. If you know how I became governor, I became governor by offering to support whoever the governor wants. By a stroke of luck, I became the candidate. The same token… I’m only here to support the President’s candidate and by a stroke of luck he said you to go there and join the race.”