The Sweet Prince Mantra is not a slogan; it is a philosophy which has become quietly assertive, deeply strategic, and profoundly intentional about the future of Cross River State. It speaks to continuity without stagnation, progress without noise, and leadership that understands that power is not merely held—it is orchestrated.
Those who truly believe in this mantra must understand that governance does not exist in silos. It must be a partnership business. The Governor’s vision, no matter how noble, requires a federal echo—an ally not just in name, but in intellect, influence, and audacity. That is where the Senatorial ambition of Prof. Ben Ayade finds both relevance and urgency.
This is not about sentiment. It is about having a dependable structural based and ally in the Senate. If Governor Bassey Otu speaks in Calabar, the echo should be amplified in the Senate by Ayade. “You gerit?”
Today, the Governor is laying foundations and quietly rebuilding institutions, recalibrating governance, and restoring dignity to leadership in Cross River State. But governance at the subnational level, no matter how visionary, meets its limits when it confronts federal inertia. Roads, revenues, ecological interventions, and most critically, resource control: these are battles that are fought and won in Abuja.
To pretend otherwise is to romanticize helplessness. The question then becomes: who sits in the Senate to give voice, force, and articulation to Cross River’s aspirations? Not just any senator. Not a placeholder. Not a spectator.
But a man who understands the anatomy of power at both state and federal levels. A man who has walked the corridors of influence, negotiated the tensions of governance, and knows where the levers are—and how to pull them.
Prof. Ben Ayade is not an accidental choice; he is a strategic necessity.
Beyond politics, there is a lingering injustice that demands more than whispers—it demands thunder. The issue of the seventy-six oil wells annexed from Cross River State to Akwa Ibom remains one of the most defining economic injustices against our people. It is not just about oil; it is about identity, equity, and survival.
This is not a matter for timid representation. It requires a senator who will not merely raise motions but will command attention. A senator who will not be drowned in the chorus of legislative routine but will rise above it with clarity, courage, and conviction. A senator who understands that some issues are not negotiable —they are existential.
The restoration of those oil wells is one such issue.The Governor, for all his commitment, cannot sit in the Senate. He cannot directly engage in legislative battles or influence federal fiscal recalibrations from the Red Chamber. He needs a counterpart—someone who does not just complement his efforts but amplifies them.
A governor builds. A senator defends, projects, and secures. This is the missing link—and it must not be ignored.
Supporting Prof. Sir Benedict Ayade CON is, therefore, not a detour from the Sweet Prince Mantra; it is its logical extension. It is a recognition that leadership must be holistic—that progress in Calabar must be defended in Abuja, that policies initiated at home must be protected at the center, and that the voice of Cross River must not tremble when it matters most.
Those who truly believe in the Governor’s vision must rise above political convenience and embrace political intelligence. This is not the time for fragmented loyalties or experimental representation. It is the time for alignment which is deliberate, strategic, and unapologetic.
Because in the end, governance is not just about who leads—it is about who stands where, and why.
And at this critical juncture, Cross River State needs Prof. Ben Ayade in the Senate—not as a mere occupant of a seat, but as a custodian of its interests, a defender of its rights, and a relentless advocate for its rightful place in the Nigerian federation.
The Sweet Prince builds. Ayade must speak. And Cross River must rise.
By: Comr. Ogar Emmanuel Oko
