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From Judex Okoro, Calabar
The Cross River Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate for the 2023 election, Prof Sandy Onor, has kicked against moves by Governor Ben Ayade to take a N35 billion loan from commercial banks a few months to the end of his tenure.
Speaking in a post-primary election parley with journalists in Calabar at the weekend, Prof Onor, who is the Senator representing Cross River Central senatorial district, warned banks not to contribute to plunging the state into further debt.
He said the state is sliding into the economic abyss and only a PDP-led government in 2023 would rescue Cross Riverians, maintaining that reports of plans to borrow an additional N35bn from financial institutions is not acceptable.
He said it was high time the people reclaimed the state from leadership that had no value for the lives of the people.
He said: “We, therefore, need to reclaim the state from people who have no value for our lives and are making plans to borrow another N35 billion with only a few months left to end their tenure.
“As at March this year, the debt profile of the state stood at $279 million yet the outgoing government is allegedly conniving with the House of Assembly to borrow this whopping sum just to put a final nail to the coffin before they leave.
“Banks in and outside the country have been warned against granting more loans to the Cross River State government. There cannot be another way to show how wicked a government can be towards its people.
“In any case, in the eyes of the law, there is no House of Assembly in Cross River State and anything that carries the imprimatur of the assembly is null and void.
“This should serve as a warning to financial institutions in and outside Nigeria not to grant any loan in whatever form to the current government as they will be doing so at a very high risk.
“Until the court pronounces otherwise, the House of Assembly as presently constituted cannot enact legally binding resolutions and laws,” Prof Onor stated.
