All Progressives Congress in Cross River State has slammed Governor Ben Ayade of Peoples Democratic Party for returning to school to study law, describing it as a sign of idleness.

The state Chairman of APC, Mr John Ochala, in Calabar on Tuesday said any serious-minded governor would not abandon governance for any academic pursuit.

Ochala lamented that the state had been handed over to an unserious person who continued to drag it backwards, adding that APC had always known that the governor was “never a serious person.”

He said, “We are talking about dilapidated roads all over the state. Look at our schools, our health infrastructure, our revenue generation capacity and all other infrastructure. These are not enough to bother a governor. All that bothers him is to use public funds to go to school. Why didn’t he go to school when he was a senator?

“He is doing this to divert people’s attention from his failed administration. The schools he attended before now, how has he imparted the knowledge to Cross Riverians other than economic underdevelopment?”

Ochala raised the alarm over the “white elephants” Ayade had said he would carry out “without any tangible impact.

“Because he is actually idle, he wants to go to school so that he will tell the students in that university that he is the governor of the state. Ayade likes showmanship.”

But Chief Press Secretary to the governor, Mr Christian Ita, described the criticism as “sheer idiocy.”

Ita said, “The criticism is sheer idiocy because there is no law stopping anybody from going to school, including those occupying public offices. Robert Mugabe (Zimbabwe) had most of his degrees while in public office.”

The governor’s spokesman stated that because of the governor’s development strides, Federal Government had given licence to the state for a deep seaport, “which will drive development into the state.”

The governor’s recent decision to register for his Master’s degree to study Law at University of Calabar has attracted criticisms from some citizens of the state.

Punch