By Nsan Ndoma-Neji, Calabar
Erstwhile governor of Cross River State, Senator Liyel Imoke, has debunked allegations making the rounds in the state that he collected the sum of N2 billion to ensure the emergence of his successor in the 2015 gubernatorial elections.
Imoke’s denial came on the heels of Governor Ayade’s defection from the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, to the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, last week in Calabar, the Cross River State capital, with some of his supporters whom the PDP said merely moved and would surely returned to the fold whenever the chips are down.
Addressing PDP faithful at Transcorp Hotel on Sunday night in Calabar at a stakeholders’ meeting convened by Imoke, the former governor said that the meeting was called by party leaders in the state to appraise recent political developments in the state.
Denying ever receiving a dime from anyone in order to facilitate the emergence of anyone as governor in 2015, Imoke stressed that such accusation was based on falsehood, wondering how he, son of late Dr. Imoke, would have stoop so low to compromise electoral process for monitory rewards.
He said, “They even accused me of collecting money to put this government in place. Did they have money to run election. If to say I sell am, I for fit come stay here; no way, he for hook me for neck.”
Lamenting how his hard earned reputation had been brought to disrepute over issues of governance of the state, Imoke stressed that he has no hand in the style of governance of his successor, adding that on no occasion had he been consulted to make an input on any matter of governance under the able leadership of Prof. Ben Ayade, Imoke said, “I don’t want to compromise the interest of Cross River State. I had been a governor of the state before; if I didn’t serve you people well you wouldn’t have been here.”
Stressing that he left the structures of the party to the governor, because he thought, the governor can keep the structures, but unknown to him that he would be betrayed.
Imoke averred that he can never remember any time when any citizen of the state was being intimidated regarding issues of governance or on matters of who becomes the governor in the state.
He added, “This party will never, by the grace of God, allow some people to take us to a party that has given the nation insecurity. Is that what you want to take us to?
The former governor promised to bring back to the fold all party faithful, who had left the PDP for one reason or the other, stressing that he would do everything within the reach of the fold to revive the lost glory of the PDP in Cross River State.
“I am not going to talk too much, so that I won’t reveal our strategy to them. I took responsibility for the emergence of this government.”
