Twitter commentator and Accountant, Obinna Nwosu has revealed that Governor Ben Ayade might decamp to APC if forced by his party to release Agba Jalingo.
According to Obinna Nwosu, who hopes it’s just rumor, Governor Ayade threatened to leave PDP just so he can ‘keep’ the Journalist, Jalingo till he is satisfied.
Nwosu says, “In a beer parlour talk last night, i heard Governor Ben Ayade threatened to decamp to APC if forced by PDP to free Agba Jalingo. I hope there is no truth to this.”
Agba Jalingo, who is facing treason charges for allegedly criticising Governor Ben Ayade spent his Christmas holiday in prison.
The publisher of CrossRiverWatch, was arrested on August 22 over a report alleging that the governor of Cross River State, Ben Ayade, diverted N500 million belonging to the state.
He is remanded at the Calabar prison, after Justice Simon Amobeda of the Federal High Court, Calabar, denied him bail.
Mr Amobeda announced his withdrawal from the case 14 days ago after a secret recording where he allegedly made some “biased” remarks against Mr Jalingo was leaked to the press.
Mr Jalingo, while reacting to the leaked recording, requested that the case be transferred to another court outside Calabar, to a new judge who would be “less susceptible to local political pressure”.
Mr Jalingo recently released prison notes through which he said he would not “bow to force” and urged the people of Cross River to be resolute against dictatorship.
“Dictatorship has never defeated goodwill and a determined people. Even if I end up not standing with you in the summit, remain strong and be rest assured that the arc of life is on our side and we will win,” he said in one of the prison notes.
“When this wind has finished blowing yonder, and it shall soon; we will look back and be glad we stuck our necks on the guillotine and history will only be fair to us, our people shall be free, the will of God would have been done and God’s name will be glorified,” he said.
Mr Jalingo’s trial was in November listed among 10 “most urgent” cases of threats to press freedom around the world.
Amnesty International and several other organisations have been calling for Mr Jalingo’s release from prison.
