Buhari's visit to C'River : President's speech was doctored - APC.

All Progressives Congress in Cross River state says President Muhammadu Buhari's speech at the opening of Rice Seedlings factory in Calabar last Tuesday was doctored as it does not reflect the true interpretation of the party and the federal government's body language about the Sen. Ben Ayade led administration in the state.

State Publicity Secretary of the party, Bassey Ita said in a statement in Calabar that with the knowledge of alleged discrepancies and fraud which characterized the disbursement of funds to farmers in the state for rice production under the anchor borrowers programme,there's no way President Buhari could applaud Sen. Ayade over a rice programme whose future is bleak.

''In 2016, the CBN commenced the Anchor Borrowers Programme as launched by Mr.President. Fourteen states including Cross River opted to join in boosting rice production in the country. Most of the  fourteen states have utilized their facility to the later.

Ebonyi,as at last year had plenty of rice flooding their streets and had gone ahead to ban importation. Lagos and Kebbi went into partnership to produce LAKE rice which is in the market today. Others states are doing great. But Cross River got N3 billion to disburse between N150,000 to N250,000 to its farmers.

Incidentally, because of the fraudulent disposition of this government, the officials connived with the Bank of Agriculture and shortchanged the farmers who had eagerly waited for the funds and other incentives to expand on the production base. Farmers have been complaining that there's not much they can do with the paltry N95,000 they were given instead of N250,000.''

"So armed with this reality, the Presidential cannot be praising a scheme that is already prepared to fail".

The APC said that what the Governor did was "to rush to grap the financial benefits  embedded in the scheme and not actually to tow the Federal Government's line of food sufficiency in the country".

The Party's spokesman reminding the President of the 270 km Superhighway project whose ground breaking he came to perform in the state over two years ago but which Sen Ayade attributed its delay to sabotage by the federal government in endorsing the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report and said "the move was aimed at scandalizing Mr.President".

Mr. Ita advised the President to be wary of another scandal by the Ayade led government as it concerns the rice programme recalling that farmers are in deep regret of venturing into the scheme under Ayade's watch.

"I recalled the loads of resentment and or regrets by farmers in my investigation of the scheme in the state.

The Guardian Newspaper of December 25,2017 and Premium Times of January 11,2017 captured vividly the fraud and discrepancies in the disbursement of loan facility to farmers, their regrets and resentment and government's flimsy excuse for its fraudulent disposition.

We are saying that the speech by Mr. President was doctored by Diamond Hills to suit its purpose. Except that Mr. President is a complete gentleman and a Democrat, it would be a public disgrace to have rejected the speech".

The statement urged the Sen Ayade led administration to "take advantage of Mr.President's grace to make straight its crooked path".

It also advised the federal government to be wary of scandal in its partnership with Ayade administration adding that it should be thorough and personally supervise all federal government's programmes in the state for tangible results that justifies and fulfils Mr.President's vision".

The statement congratulated President Buhari for a successful commissioning of the ultra modern Navy Referral Hospital in Calabar stating that the hopes of Cross River people to enjoy quality medicare  is not dashed.