Former governor of Cross River State, Prof. Ben Ayade, has revealed that President Bola Tinubu directed him to withdraw from the forthcoming 2027 Senate race in his home State, a request he said he has accepted despite deep personal anguish.

In a statement posted on his verified Facebook page on Monday, Ayade said he was invited to Abuja for a high-level consultation with the Presidency, after which he was asked to shelve his ambition.

“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,” he said.

The former governor, however, expressed concern that the President may not be fully aware of the political dynamics in Cross River State, alleging that those benefiting from the directive were previously opposed to the All Progressives Congress (APC) and its leadership in the state.

“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,” he stated.

Ayade further alleged that some of the individuals now favoured had previously engaged in violent acts during the 2023 elections.

“Mr President may not be aware that the beneficiaries of his order are people armed against us with guns and machetes in the collation centres (police records available) on the day of Mr President’s election,” he claimed.

Highlighting his contributions to the APC, Ayade noted that he was the first governor from the South-South region to join and build the party’s structure in Cross River State.

“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 said.

He also lamented what he described as years of political marginalisation.

“For over three years, I have been sidelined without appointment. I donated generously to the National Convention, gave out vehicles and motorbikes to the party,” he added.

Despite his grievances, Ayade urged his supporters to remain calm and loyal to the party, stressing that he would not act in defiance of the President’s directive.

“Let us tarry and honour Mr President even as we still appeal for the review of his order,” he said.

He also instructed his supporters not to purchase nomination forms for the Senate race for now, citing respect for constituted authority.

“On the issue of purchase of form, I suggest that my supporters should not buy the form as I’ll be guilty of going against the order of Mr President,” he said.

Ayade, who served as governor from 2015 to 2023, expressed hope that the decision would be reconsidered, maintaining that his political future remains guided by faith and destiny.

“I believe in destiny and the hand of God,” he said, recalling that he had previously stepped down from political contests in 2007 and 2015 before later becoming a senator and a two-term governor.

He concluded by reaffirming his commitment to the APC and support for its candidates in future elections, even as he appealed for fairness.

“I dare not question his authority but I challenge his conscience. I genuinely worked for him and I therefore deserve a place in his administration,” Ayade said.