By Ushang Ewa
Cross River Governor, Senator Ben Ayade was on Monday absent from the inauguration of the national convention planning committee of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in Abuja.
Mr. Ayade, alongside his predecessor, Senator Liyel Imoke are the only two Cross Riverians appointed into the 86 – man committee headed by Delta State governor, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa.
It is unclear why the governor stayed away from the event with no notable event holding him back in the state. CrossRiverWatch gathered that it is not the first time Mr. Ayade is skipping such events.
However, Mr. Imoke attended the inauguration and is said to have received his appointment letter from Ebonyi State governor, Engineer Dave Umahi who is the secretary of the committee.
The committee was sworn in by the deputy national chairman of the party, Elder Yomi Akinwumi who said Mr. Okowa was selected due to his thorough nature and his record of organizing successfully, the last convention of the PDP.
The National Convention is slated for October 5-6, 2018 with unconfirmed information suggesting a split in the national leadership of the party over the convention venue.
Meanwhile, Mr. Ayade had returned to Calabar on Saturday after his screening by the PDP in its zonal office in PortHarcourt, the River’s State capital.
A statement signed by his spokesman, Mr. Christian Ita, said the governor arrived the venue of the exercise at about 3:10PM and was ushered in by the chairman of the committee, Dr. Muraina Ajibola and the secretary, Honorable Boyele Debekeme.
Ayade later departed for Calabar where he met with his counterpart in Sokoto State and presidential aspirant of the PDP, Honorable Aminu Waziri Tambuwal.
The statement said he touched down the Margaret Ekpo international airport at about 6.15pm and proceeded to his office where Mr. Tambuwal hailed his governance ideas, describing them as the best in the country.