Why I dumped PDP for APC – Gov Ayade

Governor Ben Ayade of Cross River State has explained why he dumped the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, on Thursday, for the All Progressives Congress, APC, saying his decision was informed by the attributes of President Muhammadu Buhari.

Ayade also stated that, the need for Cross River State, which he said had been emasculated economically following the ceding of its oil wells, to be in sync with the ruling party at the centre, as another reason for dumping the PDP, which first made him a senator and two-term governor of the state.

Governor Ayade formally declared for the ruling party at the Cross River State Executive Council Chamber, Governor’s Office in Calabar after a two-hour meeting with seven APC governors led by the party’s Interim Chairman and governor of Yobe State, Mai Mala Buni.

Justifying the move, the governor alluded to what he called the “commitment nationalistic disposition” of President Buhari to Nigeria.

“Having seen and known the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and his commitment to this country, his nationalistic disposition and all the efforts he has made to bring Nigeria to where we are today, it is obvious that at this point we needed to join hands with him to build a Nigeria that we can be proud of”, Ayade said.

According to him, “We need all governors to recognize that it is not the party that matters. It is a character, it is honour, it is the commitment to the vision of this great nation. We all need to as a team,  work ahead of the president by working towards building a prosperous country that the succession worries of 2023 will come without the fears and the worries the international community has for us.

“I believe that if every one of us as governor joins hands with Mr President, I think we can sit on the same dining table and fashion out a way to govern this country”, Ayade admonished.

Speaking on the development, Governor Buni of Yobe State said he and his team were in the state to formally welcome Governor Ayade to the APC.

“I am here on behalf of the APC family to welcome His Excellency the Executive Governor of Cross River State formally to the APC. As of today, he is the leader of the party in the state”, Bunu enthused.

Other APC governors who witnessed the event were Hope Uzodinma of Imo State, Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti State, Solomon Lalong of Plateau State, Abubakar Atiku Bagudu and his Jigawa State counterpart, Mohammed Badaru Abubakar.

Also present was the Minister of State for Petroleum, Chief Timipre Sylver.

Others at the meeting were the state deputy governor, Prof Ivara Esu, Speaker of the state  House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Eteng Williams Jones and members of the state house of assembly, some National Assembly members, members of the Cross River State Executive Council members, Local Government chairmen, councillors and some stakeholders, including Dame Princess Florence Ita-Giwa and High Chief Asuquo Ekpenyong amongst others.

The Thursday action ended months of speculation about the imminent defection of Ayade, who had become bitter about the way he lost the structures of the PDP in the state to members of the party in the National Assembly.