By Jonathan Ugbal: Government House Correspondent
Cross River Governor, Senator Ben Ayade on Wednesday inaugurated a 1,600 man People’s Democratic Party (PDP) gubernatorial campaign council in the State with a charge to win all polling units fairly via issue based games.
Governor Ayade who expressed optimism of the party’s victory at next year’s general polls due to the achievements recorded by his administration in the areas of human resource development and industrialization, said the inauguration of the council was based on the need to fulfill certain obligations and not to be caught sleeping on guard.
“The super abundance of every performance is always detrimental to the performer. And therefore, no matter how competent, no matter how experienced you are, you must allow yourself the luxury of inexperience and give opportunity to do more calculation and plan better,” Ayade said.
On issue based campaigns, he explained that: “This election cannot be won by money because once you use money, it becomes commercial and that is against the law. It should be won by what we have done for the State, it should be won by understanding what we have done.
“It should be won by the fact that this government lifted embargo on employment; this government created employment for over 6,000 people by the instrumentality of appointments alone; this government pays salaries promptly,; pays pensions promptly; this government created opportunity to promote 33 permanent secretaries, that never happened in Cross River. This government also ask Primary Health to employ 1,000 people; employ 1,000 primary school teachers; create opportunity for people to be given jobs which is the core essence of government; people, people, people.”
Continuing, the governor averred that his administration is, “about the people and so we have something to tell the people. That is what you should go and tell your people in your polling unit,” adding that: “We are indeed a government of the people, you know how difficult it is at this time, as perilous as the economy is, we have sustained and placed people first above every other consideration.”
Also, he announced his decision to face governance and leave the campaign for the party and the council.
The Director General of the campaign council and former deputy governor of the State, Efiok Cobham in his remarks said the decision to have a very large campaign council was based on the need to win elections in a manner that will be wholly convincing.
He said that: “We have gone to the extent of having a large campaign organization because we are passing through interesting times and interested times call for interesting behavior. That is why going now, we have about 1,600 members of the campaign organization. If I should have my way, I think we should even go beyond that because the focus of this campaign is to win and win all.”
Explaining the reason for the aim of winning all polling units, Cobham posited that: “We shall have campaign organization up to the polling unit level because we want to win and we want to win fairly. We want to win observing all the decency and convention and even the law that governs everything so that those who thought our previous elections were flukes, let them see us win and win convincingly. That is why it is Operation win your polling booth.”
He called on all interested in joining the campaign to visit its website on crspdpcampaign.org.
And, the party’s State chapter chairman, Inok Edim who in his remarks assured of victory, commended the governor and the campaign council for recognizing those who have worked for the party which according to him, was motivation for more work.
“Once you are recognized, it is motivation, it will spur you and spur us to work harder,” Edim said, and urged members not to see the appointment into the council as a money making venture.
On victory at the next general polls, he said that: “I want to assure this house that I will come back with a very good result from my polling unit. So, it is expected that every member of the campaign organization will come back with a very good result.”
Meanwhile, Mr. Ayade said the campaign organization will be expanded to include more people so at least one person from each of the State’s 2,373 polling unit is a member of the campaign council.
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