A presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Professor Ben Ayade has intimately acquired senatorial forms of the ruling party.
Ayade had on April 26 announced his interest to run for the office of the President.
He had claimed to have secured the approval of President Muhammadu Buhari, leading to his disclosure to contest for the presidential ticket of the party.
On Monday, a support group presented the N100 million APC presidential forms to the Cross River governor.
While accepting the forms, Ayade said he has governed Cross River well and can do the same for the entire country.
However, an APC document seen by Sahara Reporters showed that the governor also acquired the N20 million expression of interest and nomination forms for the Cross River senatorial election.
Ayade is seeking to represent Cross River North senatorial district in the upper chamber of the National Assembly.
A source told Sahara Reporters that another senatorial candidate from the district has joined a pact to act as a placeholder for the governor.
“You know senatorial primaries will come before presidential, so that candidate who I don’t want to mention his name will get the Cross River North senatorial ticket,” an APC member said.
“If the governor fails to get the presidential ticket of our party, then his front who got the senatorial ticket will step down and he will be restored by the governor.”