Hours to the May 29 handover date, an investigative journalist and civil rights activist, Agba Jalingo has alleged that a project monitoring vehicle estimated to have cost Cross River State $170,000 has disappeared from the governor’s office where it was parked since it was purchased.

According to him, the vehicle was taken away “under cover” by the outgoing Governor of the state, Prof. Ben Ayade.

He quoted some sources as hinting that “it has been moved to the governor’s personal house in Abuja in preparation for resell.”

Quoting Governor Ayade words after his second term inauguration in May 2019, the Governor said, “Immediately I took the oath of office for my second term, I downgraded my position to that of a project manager while my deputy will be governor. So, indeed, I have also given him approval limit up to N1 billion. He will do that without recourse to me.

“He is a professor and more experienced than me and I strongly believe that he’s got the capacity to run government to allow me bring my energy to bear in the various industries we have set up. As a project manager, I will be spending most of my time in Ikom Local Government Area to allow me properly monitor all my developmental projects in the central senatorial district. Don’t expect to see me in the office but in the field to see to it that these projects are actualized.

“So, I will be shuttling between Ogoja and Ikom. For this reason, I am taking delivery of a mobile house soon to allow me a working space anywhere I will be going across the state”, Governor Ayade said.

However, the journalist said, “The gist here now is that, the Governor did take delivery of the mobile house vehicle. It was delivered and has been parked there in the governor’s office for years without use, because the governor, contrary to what he promised, remained governor while his deputy remained the deputy and he did not relocate to Ikom like he vowed.

“This week, the vehicle which is estimated to have cost $170,000, disappeared from the governor’s office.

“They took it away under cover. Some sources have hinted us that it has been moved to the governor’s personal house in Abuja in preparation for resell”, journalist Agba Jalingo said. Read more