By Nsan Ndoma-Neji, Calabar
Former governor of Cross River State, Senator Liyel Imoke, has given reasons why he deprived his best friend, Senator Gershom Bassey, the current senator representing Cross River South senatorial district, the privilege of becoming the state governor, despite the initial aggrement with Gershom to make him governor in 2015.
Imoke made the revelation while addressing a crowd of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, supporters, who attended the thanksgiving mass in in honour of the senator representing Cross River North senatorial district, at the National Assembly, Senator Jarigbe Agom Jarigbe, at St. Benedict Catholic Church, Ogoja Local Governemnt Area in the Northern senatorial district of Cross River State.
The erstwhile state governor stressed that it was due to the love he had for Jarigbe that made him came to attend the thanksgiving mass.
Imoke also added that it was due to the love and compassion he had for the senatorial district which had suffered deprivation in the hands of past administrations that he gave the local government area the privilege to occupy the office of governor of the state.
Imoke averred that his desire to ensure that an indigene of the senatorial district emerge as governor made him denied his best friend, Senator Bassey the opportunity to assume the position of the governor of the state in 2015, notwithstanding the aggrement they both had to pave way for him to assume position of governor in 2015.
Imoke said, “Because of the love I had for the people of Cross River North senatorial district, I denied my best friend the opportunity to become governor and gave the opportunity to Prof. Ben Ayade to emerge govership of the state.
“It’s like we miscalculated when we gave the opportunity to Ayade to assume the position of governor of the state.
“But, today I am happy, because I have Jarigbe Agom Jarigbe as senator representing the people of Cross River North.
“I charge you to support him to the period when his tenure would elapse.”
Also speaking, the former member of the House of Representatives for Ogoja/Yala federal constituency, and now sworn in as senator representing Cross River North senatorial district, Senator Jarigbe lauded the party, and people of the North for standing by him through out the struggle to reclaim his mandate, which according to him was wrongly given to another person.
