Ben Ayade announces withdrawal from senate race after Tinubu’s request

Ebun Emmanuel – May 4,2026

seat, A former Cross River State Governor, Ben Ayade, has announced his withdrawal from the race for the Cross River North senatorial seat, stating that the decision was made in compliance with a “request” from President Bola Tinubu

In a statement released on Monday, Ayade expressed his disappointment, revealing that despite feeling “ill-treated,” he chose to honour the request from the president. He stated that he had been invited to Abuja for a national consultation with the presidency, where he was asked to shelve his senatorial ambition.

He said, “Recall that I was invited to Abuja for a high-level consultation meeting with President Tinubu. Mr President want me to withhold my senate ambition and I yielded to his request.”

He reminded the president of his crucial role in building the APC 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 PDP for Tinubu in the 2023 presidential election.

He also referenced the violence at collation centres during the presidential election, claiming that some of the beneficiaries of the president’s order were involved in such violence.

“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.

Ayade, however, pledged to continue supporting APC candidates and work with President Tinubu and the Cross River governor to ensure the party’s success in the state, provided the directive remains unchanged.