By CrossRiverWatch Admin
Following the return of an eventful month long stay in Abuja, Cross River Governor, Senator Ben Ayade Friday was welcomed in Calabar with a solidarity rally by a mammoth crowd with some taking it to the extreme by cresting the name of former gubernatorial aspirant, Barrister Joe Agi (SAN) on a coffin.
Agi is currently at the Supreme court with Governor Ayade for allegedly falsifying his age in the nomination forms purchased for the gubernatorial primaries of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the run up to the 2015 general elections which Ayade won by a wide margin.
Supporters of Ayade decided to show their disdain for Agi by cresting “R.I.P Joe”on a coffin that was publicly displayed and chanting the governor’s name in a local song; “Ayade, eheeeheehee (pronounced ‘A-hayyy-hay-hay) Ayade,” with the bearers publicly smoking what looked like Marijuana and drinking hot gin along the IBB way and disrupting the flow of traffic.
Earlier at the Margaret Ekpo International Airport, while a priest was praying for Ayade, the State Chief of Protocol, Asikpo Okon tried to dispel the group alongside the Speaker and Deputy Speaker of the House of Assembly but to no avail as the governor and his younger brother, Frank Ayade, the Speaker and several others on the podium could not help but laugh briefly at the sighting of the message on the coffin.
Meanwhile, Ayade had won the case filed by Agi at the trial court and up to the appeal court with the governor’s supporters confident of a smooth victory until counsel to the PDP, N. Ibegbulam apologized on behalf of the PDP to the Supreme Court for fielding Ayade despite being aware of the discrepancies in his date of birth.
This upset caused a stir in the polity which suddenly became heated. The Supreme Court has reserved December 9, 2016 for judgement.
The governor however told supporters that he is innocent of the charges and believes that God will not allow anyone truncate what he has ordained in the state.
Below is a 25 seconds video of the public display of the coffin while Governor Ayade waves as his convoy drives by.
