The decision by Governor Ben Ayade of Cross River to return to lecture room has been condemned by the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state.
Reports claimed that Ayade was sighted at the lecture hall of the University of Calabar after securing admission to read masters in law.
Speaking about the governor’s decision in Calabar, the state chairman of APC, John Ochala, on Tuesday, October 15, alleged that “the state had been handed over to an unserious person who has continued to drag it backwards.”
Ochala said: “Look at the various white elephant projects he said he was carrying out without any tangible impact on the state. Let the governor tell us how much he has generated so far from all his so-called projects.
”Because he is actually idle doing nothing, he wants to go to school so that he will tell the students in that university that he is the governor of the state. Ayade likes showmanship.
“You will notice that he travels outside the state too often. A man who has challenges in the state, including communal clashes here and there, will not travel like that and that is to show you that he has been idle. Now he wants to be busy, not with governance, but driving siren to school to be cheered by students.”
The chief press secretary to the governor, Christian Ita, described the criticism as “sheer idiocy.”
Ita said: “The criticism is sheer idiocy because there is no law stopping anybody from going to school, including those occupying public office. Mugabe had most of his degrees while in public office.”
According to him, modern governance runs at institutional levels “ and the governor, not being a superman, has put into place institutions that will drive development.”