I'm the one sustaining Agba Jalingo in detention, I want him releaesd: Gov. Ayade

I'm the one sustaining Agba Jalingo in detention, I want him releaesd - Gov. Ayade

BY DAVID PETER


The Governor of Cross River State, His Excellency, Sen Prof. Benedict Bengioushuye Ayade, KSJI, on Monday, January 27, 2020 visit President Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR, at the state house in Abuja.


Professor Benedict Ayade, disclosed to journalist in the meeting while responding to questions from State House Correspondents in Abuja on Monday, said Jalingo is standing trial for treasonable charges, which a state cannot charge any individual for such his softness and empathy to media on Agba trial questioning proves with evidence his epitome of humanity, despite all defamatory words bestow on the Governor, Ayade is not guilty nor associative with Agba Jalingo treasonable charges.


Professor Bengioushuye speaking, “The case is between Agba Jalingo and the federal government Nigeria. On his Facebook page, he posted an ambitious programme as…

_*Please don’t get it wrong, Agba Jalingo is not just from Cross River State, he’s not just from Obudu, where I also come from, he’s my brother*_

“On his Facebook page, he sent pictures where he was being teargassed at the revolution march in Lagos. His own pictures, posted by himself and when Sowore was being arrested, he went back to his Facebook to post that the revolution has just started, ‘we will continue this battle until revolution works’. He admitted this in Court.


“In court, it is Federal Government versus Agba Jalingo, not Cross River State. *_The same Agba Jalingo who is in jail, I send him money_*.


“I called my Chief Press Secretary and others and said that journalists will not understand that Agba Jalingo is the State Chairman of Sowore’s party, from the time he moved into politics, he became a politician.


“You are seeing him as a journalist, but he’s not. He’s the chairman of Sowore’s party in Cross River State so he’s a politician. He has a primary calling, which is journalism. *_Please as Agba Jalingo, that Cross River Watch, the first person to give him money to set up the office was myself. His official vehicle, it was me._*


_*“I don’t have to list all of these, he knows that I have funded and supported him,*_ but journalism stops where blackmail becomes part of your strategy.


“He’s in court for treason, a state does not have power to try anyone for treason, it’s not me. Agba Jalingo is not a journalist, he is the chairman of a political party and so once he started the campaign to overthrow the government of President Buhari, he ceased to be seen from the point of journalist because he has become the state chairman of a party.


“I have an intellectual background as a professor, I will stand with journalists at all times and I will never prosecute somebody, but if you ask Agba Jalingo today, I’m the one working with his lawyers for his freedom, I’m the one sustaining him and sending upkeeps, the same man who once called me a golden brother, that I’ve stood with him through tough times.


“When he started publishing damaging articles against the state, I called him as a brother. I said look, the former governor told me that you so much blackmailed him, that his wife was detained because she was involved in child trafficking.


“He had to resort to settling him monthly. When journalism gets to that level, it becomes very dangerous and I don’t want you people to support a course that is not fair.

He added: _*“I am of the opinion that Agba should be released because I think he was just youthfully excited,*_ but let him not use the power of the pen, let him not use journalism and hide to blackmail, chastise lampoon, destroy another person just for personal economic benefit” , Governor Ayade pleaded.


Senator Benedict Ayade, the good Samaritan have showed himself as a father to the downtrodden with no helper irrespective of all destructive critic issued on his household he plead for the release of Agba Jalingo, a journalist cum politician.
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David Peter writes from Calabar