Immediate past governor of Cross River State, Prof Ben Ayade is already in Aso Rock in response to the invitation by the president, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
TNN learnt that the state governor, Senator Bassey Otu who has been visiting The Villa in the last few days, had told Tinubu that his predecessor was not fairly treated by the APC government and stressed the need for the president to engage him.
In line with the request, Tinubu was said to have told Otu to inform Ayade to be in The Villa on Thursday. Ayade was believed to be in Makurdi on Wednesday when the news hit the social media, in a rather strange approach, that Ayade was wanted in Aso Rock.
One source confided in TNN on Thursday, that Ayade will be given two options by The Presidency, to choose between being offered a ministerial appointment or to be made a senator.
But another source told TNN that the essence of the invitation was to inform Ayade to drop his ambition of becoming a senator, as Senator Jarigbe Agom Jarigbe had already been cleared by The Presidency for the Cross River North Senatorial District.
Those close to Ayade however confided in TNN, that the former governor would prefer to return to the senate. One source said if presented with options, he has been encouraged to choose the senate seat.
But a third source however said Ayade’s meeting with the president would afford the president the opportunity to talk to him about what happened during the 2022 presidential election, in which he contested against Tinubu and chose the go all the way against Tinubu during the primary election which produced Tinubu as the party’s flagbearer.
