IPAC Calls on Ayade to Resign over N1.3tn Budget, LG Poll
The Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC), Cross River State chapter, has called on Governor Ben Ayade to resign over the state’s N1.3 trillion budget for 2018 as well as for not conducting local government elections for almost two years now.
IPAC, at a press conference in Abuja yesterday attended by over 20 state chairmen and secretaries, described the budget as a ‘Budget of Kinetic Caricature’ which should be withdrawn for a new realistic and achievable estimates for 2018.
“We hereby advice the Cross River State Governor, Ayade, to withdraw his unrealistic, childish and fraudulent ‘Kinetic Crystallisation Budget of N1.3 trillion,’” a statement by the chairman of the IPAC Cross River State, Pastor Sunday Michael, read.
The council also advised the governor to resign over what they termed his “gross ineptitude,” or he should “perish any thought of re-contesting for governorship in 2019.”
Other allegations levelled against Ayade include “the refusal of the state government to have its accounts audited by the Auditor General of the state,” which the body said “only goes to confirm the colossal fraud that has characterised the his-led style of governance.”
According to the IPAC chairman, they were “embarrassed that despite the absence of audited accounts for the state in the past two years, the Cross River State House of Assembly has proceeded to consider and pass the state’s budget year after year. We are therefore at a loss as to how and what figures the budget is based upon.
“As if the foregoing was not enough, Ayade has now presented a ludicrous budget of N1.3trillion, appropriately naming it ‘Budget of Kinetic Crystallisation.’
“In view of the total failure of the N300 billion 2017 budget, Ayade did not bother to avail the House of Assembly with a budget performance of review. Being the puppets they have shown themselves to be, we will not be surprised if the Cross Rover State House of Assembly proceeds to pass this 2018 budget without an audited account or a performance review of the past budget.”
The IPAC urged the assembly to live up to their responsibilities to the state by rejecting the attempt to use them as rubber stamps.
They further called on the Cross River State Independent Electoral Commission “to as a matter of urgency, conduct local government elections on or before January 31, 2018,” while appealing to the federal government to stop disbursement of local government allocation to the state.
Other demands include the blacklisting of the governor by all opposition parties in the state as well as a stakeholders’ conference upon his resignation by the acting governor to develop a workable blueprint for the state.