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PATRICK ABANG, Calabar –
The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in Cross River State has said that it viewed Governor Ben Ayade’s order asking workers to go back to work and the NLC to suspend their strike action as undemocratic.
The State Secretary of PDP, Anthony Edako who spoke with our reporter in a telephone interview while reacting to the governor’s order, said that the party was solidly behind the strike action.
NATIONAL ACCORD reports, that the state’s government through its radio station on Tuesday, had called on permanent secretaries, directors, workers and political appointees to return back to work.
The state government noted that a monitoring team would be going round the state to ensure that workers are on their duty post.
Meanwhile, PDP said that as a representative of the people and a platform in which people express their view, it considered the request as insolence to the people.
“This is a regime that has been in office for over six years and no one person has been paid his gratuity. These are senior citizens who have sacrificed 35 years of their most active part in the service of the state and at the end; the governor has the temerity to insolently request them to suspend the strike action”.
“They deserve to be paid and PDP as a party has the interest of the people at heart and is solidly behind the strike. The Governor is in jamboree in France with 37 persons and claiming that he has no money to pay gratuity but freezing in Casino”
“In a civilized society, Ayade should be sent to jail. It is an error granting Ayade immunity. It is criminal and he has broken the contract terms he had with his people without financial implementation”
“Cross River has become a beggar state and has become a vision circle in poverty, PDP had wished that if there was any way it could convince the regulatory authority INEC to put the election tomorrow because of the one and half years in office left for Ayade is enough to cause more damage in the rascally regime.
“We are ready and set for the fight. We are on the ground. We appeal to our people to be firm and resolute for their redemption is at sight.” The party said in a statement.
Also in an interview, a former Commissioner of Lands and Housing in the State, Bassey Ekefre has said that it was unfortunate for the NLC in the state to embark on strike.