Ayade grieves as Tinubu dashes senatorial ambition

A fresh storm is rippling through Nigeria’s political waters after President Bola Ahmed Tinubu reportedly ordered former Cross River governor Ben Ayade to abandon his 2027 senatorial ambition—an intervention that has left the ex-governor bruised, emotional, and publicly conflicted.

Ayade, a former senator and two-term governor, confirmed he has bowed to the directive, but not without visible anguish. In a statement heavy with emotion, he revealed he was summoned to Abuja for what he described as a high-level consultation, only to walk away with a clear message: step aside.

“I yield to his request even as I pour tears of ill treatment and agony,” he said—a line that cuts through the usual political diplomacy and exposes a raw sense of grievance.

The development has ignited debate within the All-Progressives Congress (APC), particularly in the South-South, where Ayade once stood as a political outlier—the region’s first APC governor and a key architect of the party’s foothold in Cross River State.

Clearly unwilling to exit quietly, Ayade rolled out a pointed reminder of his political investments. He highlighted his role in delivering a decisive electoral edge for Tinubu in 2023, claiming he outperformed the opposition by nearly 40,000 votes in a state long considered hostile territory for the APC.

He also invoked his early loyalty, recalling how he championed Tinubu’s presidential ambition when it was still a gamble—pushing the narrative that if Tinubu could transform Lagos, he could do the same for Nigeria.

Yet, beneath the loyalty lies simmering frustration. Ayade lamented that despite his efforts, he has spent over three years on the sidelines, without a federal appointment—an omission he subtly framed as political neglect.

Even so, he insists he has remained committed, citing his ongoing free transportation initiative aimed at bolstering support for Tinubu’s anticipated 2027 re-election bid.

But the most explosive part of his statement was not just compliance—it was a plea.

Ayade urged the President to reconsider the directive, warning that denying him the ticket would deepen political imbalance in Cross River North. According to him, his constituency has only held the senatorial seat for eight years, while his main rival has dominated it for two decades. Allowing that dominance to continue, he argued, would effectively hand over a fourth term in disguise.

Behind the measured words lies a deeper tension—between loyalty and reward, sacrifice and recognition, obedience and political survival.

For now, Ayade has stepped back. But his “tears of agony” suggest this is less a quiet exit and more a reluctant retreat—one that may yet reshape alliances as 2027 begins to stir on the horizon.