Ex-Governor of Cross River State, Ben Ayade, has yielded to a directive from President Bola Tinubu to withdraw his ambition for the Cross River North Senate seat in the 2027 general elections.

In a statement released on Monday, Ayade disclosed that he was recently invited to Abuja for a high-level national consultation with the Presidency.

According to him, the President at the meeting directed him to shelve the senatorial bid.

Ayade said, “Recall I was invited to return to Abuja for a high-level national consultation with the Presidency.

“From the sequence of events that followed my return, Mr. President wants me to withhold my Senate ambition. I yield to his request even as I pour tears of ill treatment and agony.”

Ayade highlighted his “crucial role” in building the All Progressives Congress in the South-South region, noting that he was the first APC governor in the zone and delivered nearly 40,000 more votes than the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, for Tinubu in the 2023 presidential election.

“I trust that Mr. President may not be aware that the people who turned our churches against Ayade and all of us in APC over the Muslim-Muslim ticket and accused us of islamisation of Cross River State are the beneficiaries of his instruction.

“Mr. President may recall that I was the first APC Governor in the whole of South-South Nigeria that built the new APC that we enjoy today.

“I worked assiduously for the party and delivered almost 40,000 votes above PDP in the Presidential election, first in the history of our state,” he added.

Despite these efforts, Ayade said he has been sidelined for over three years without any federal appointment.

He added that he is currently running a free transportation scheme to support the President’s expected 2027 re-election bid.

Ayade appealed to the President to revisit the directive, arguing that his federal constituency has only enjoyed senatorial representation for eight years, while his main opponent has had 20 years.