Ayade Benedict Bengioushuye
381,484 votes (73.04%)
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Ayade Benedict Bengioushuye is a Nigerian politician who contested the 2019 Governorship Elections as the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate in Cross River. They won with 381K votes (73.04%).
Biography
Benedict Bengiuoshuye Ayade was born on March 2, 1968 in Obudu Local Government Area of Cross River State, Nigeria. His parents, Peter Akinsheye Ayade and Beatrice Ngayi Ayade, were devout Catholics, and his father worked in the public sector with the water board.
He attended St. Stephens Primary School in Obudu before proceeding to Government Secondary School, Obudu. Ayade later earned a B.Sc. (Honours) in microbiology from the University of Ibadan (1984–1988), followed by an M.Sc. in environmental microbiology (1989–1990) and a Ph.D. in environmental microbiology (1990–1994), winning the Best Doctoral Dissertation Award.
After academia, he obtained an MBA from Ambrose Alli University Ekpoma (2000–2002) and an LL.B. from Delta State University Abraka (2006–2010). He later pursued an additional LL.B. in Law from the University of Calabar, where he worked as a lecturer and was later appointed professor at Delta State University.
Ayade is known for his contributions to groundwater remediation and invented a solar-powered sewage treatment plant. He has held roles such as Chairman of the Ecological Fund, International Institute of Environmental Research, and Strategic Policy Advisory Council.
Entering politics, he ran for the Nigerian Senate in 2011 as a PDP candidate, winning 91,123 votes. During his Senate term (2011–2015), he served as vice-chairman of the Senate Committee on Environment and Ecology and was a member of committees on Petroleum Downstream, Education, and Drugs/Narcotics/Crime.
He later became governor of Cross River State, first elected in 2015 with 342,016 votes, and was re-elected in 2019 with 381,484 votes. His tenure included awards such as Vanguard Governor of the Year (2016), Champion Newspaper Governor of the Year (2019), and Leadership Governor of the Year (2020).
In 2023, he contested the Cross River North Senate seat as an APC candidate but lost to Sen. Jarigbe Agom. He was invested as a Knight of St. John (KSJ) in 2019 and awarded the national honour of Commander of the Order of the Niger (CON) in 2022. Married with three children, his hobbies include reading, sports, and dancing.
Party Positions
Policy positions from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) party manifesto.
Education
Ensure free education up to Junior Secondary School (JSS1) level and commit to revamping tertiary education.
Healthcare
Provide free medical services for pregnant women and children under five years, rehabilitate health facilities in each LGA, and support local production of essential drugs.
Infrastructure
Accelerate the completion of key rail projects, including standard gauge rail lines between Lagos and Kano (Phase 1) and Port Harcourt to Jos (Phase 2), by privatizing or concessioning the Nigerian Railway Corporation to private operators.
Security & Defense
PDP plans to refine recruitment methods, retrain personnel, improve logistics, and strengthen early warning systems for police reform.
Anti-corruption
PDP commits to strengthening anti-corruption institutions (EFCC & ICPC) and enforcing transparency reforms, including asset declaration laws and removal of immunity clauses for public officials.
Energy
PDP pledges to eliminate gas flaring, enforce air pollution regulations, complete deregulation of downstream petroleum sector, and lay gas pipelines nationwide for industrial use.
Environment & Climate
Commits to reclaiming and rehabilitating land devastated by desertification and soil erosion through afforestation in affected areas.
Technology & Digital
Will establish internet/computer learning centers in all LGAs, provide computers for secondary schools, and enforce local content policy for telecom equipment.
Reliefs and scholarships
Introduce a service compact (SERVICOM) aimed at improving governance through enhanced engagement with the public sector.
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Who declares, who drops out, who switches party: sourced, not speculation.