Legor Idagbo Dumps Governorship Ambition, Backs Ayade For Governor

By crossriverwatch admin

Front line guber aspirant and former Cross River Commissioner for Works, Barrister Legor Idagbo has dumped his governorship ambition and thrown his support behind Senator Ben Ayade to succeed Imoke.

In a chat with CrossRiverWatch this morning Mr. Idagbo thanked the governor of the state, Senator Imoke for the transparent manner he has handled the process so far and said he is a firm believer in the collective will of the party’s decision. He urged his supporters to support Senator Ben Ayade in the race to Peregrino House.

Full text of Mr. Idagbo’s statement on his facebook timeline:

Fellow Cross Riverians, we are all witnesses to the events that have led to this day, a day when the leadership of our great party has selected a candidate to fly its flag in the upcoming gubernatorial elections.

I would first of all like to thank the Almighty God for blessing our beloved State with noble leaders of great vision and character. Their efforts have led to the rapid growth and development our state has witnessed from 1999 to date.

I most especially commend His Excellency, Senator Liyel Imoke, the incumbent Governor, for steering the ship of our State through some of its most difficult and challenging times. In-spite of these difficulties, he has carried out this task impeccably and has managed to move the State to great and enviable heights.

As a result we have attained the status of being one of the leading States in the areas of Good Governance, sustainable development, and have also become the preferred tourist destination in Nigeria. I also commend his leadership ability that enables him bring out the best in the people that work with him, and drive mere mortals to achieve near extra-ordinary feats.

I congratulate the Leadership of our great party, the PDP, for putting in place a transparent and credible process to prune down the number of Governorship aspirants. This process saw all of the aspirants being given the opportunity to address the various caucuses across the State and present their vision and developmental plans for the State. Everyone that participated was stretched to the very limit, which brought out the very best in us all. It also helped create a bond between us and the people of Cross River State. Although it may not have been perfect, being the first time it has been tried out, my hope is that it will be sustained and improved upon as it leads to the emergence of the best candidates to serve our State.

For me personally, it was a great experience interacting with the various caucuses, and subjecting my vision and plans for our dear state to evaluation and criticism. It was also a good opportunity to present myself to the good people of Cross River State and get them to know who I really am, as opposed to the picture my detractors paint of me. The fact that I unarguably received the most amount of bashing from these detractors is a pointer to the fact that I indeed have a lot to offer, because as the adage states “nobody throws stones at a barren tree.”

Let me also use this opportunity to thank all my supporters and well-wishers that committed their all into my project in terms of goodwill, human, and particularly, financial resources, with the belief that History could be made in Cross River State and a home grown who has served and risen from the ranks as a result of performance could indeed occupy the highest office in the land. For “he that can be trusted with little can as well be trusted with plenty.”

Let me also thank my friends who did not BELIEVE we could achieve this but still stood by me because of the friendship we have shared over the years. My thanks also go to my campaign organization for running one of the most proactive campaigns ever witnessed in the history of our State, and for getting the youths, from Obanliku to Bakassi, to be part of this collective struggle.

I thank my dear wife Cassandra and my family for their support, understanding, and the immense sacrifices they made throughout the period of consultations and campaigns. Without them, I would never have come this far.

I also thank all my detractors and the naysayers who never saw anything good in me, for ironically providing the tonic and motivation I needed to pursue my ambition. Nelson Mandela, one of the greatest leaders of our time once said “there is no passion to be found in playing small, in settling for a life that is less than the one that you are capable of living.”

I also commend my co-aspirants for the spirit of camaraderie exhibited in the course of our consultations, mindful of the fact that there can only be one Governor, and that the interest of Cross River State supersedes our individual interests.

Like I posited in all my presentations, I am a believer that power belongs to God and should someone else be found more appropriate by the leadership to be Governor, I would throw my weight behind that person in the overall interest of our State. I hereby call on my supporters and everyone that stood by me and believed in our collective struggle to support Senator Ben Ayade, one of our best brains, a perfect Gentleman and a friend.

However it is my belief that no one person has all it takes to be Governor. What is needed to move our State to even greater heights is a collection of the ideas of all well-meaning Cross Riverians. I hereby pledge to work closely with Senator Ben Ayade, to ensure that there will be no room for failure in our collective bid to take Cross River State to the next level.

Mia Hamm, American soccer female footballer said, “I am a member of a team, and I rely on the team, I defer to it and sacrifice for it, because the team, not the individual, is the ultimate champion.” Ultimately, Cross River State should be the champion, and not us as individuals.

I am prepared to serve in whatever capacity the leadership of the party finds me worthy. There is no role too little or too great once the ultimate goal is to serve the people of our dear State, for every step towards the goal of service requires sacrifice.

Once again I thank His Excellency for the opportunity to express my aspiration under a very transparent and credible platform. It is my belief that other States in the country have a lot to learn from Cross River State and Cross Riverians, as I am confident that we will come out victorious from this struggle.

Long live Cross River State, Thanks and God bless you all.