The Cross River State Governor, Prof. Ben Ayade, Thursday, defected from the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, to the All Progressives Congress, APC.
Ayade remarked that character, honour and commitment to the vision of a great nation that matters.
He spoke this during his formal declaration 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.
Ayade said “We need all governors to recognise that it is not the party that matters. It is a character, it is an honour, it is a commitment to the vision of this great nation.
”We all need to as teamwork 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,” the governor asserted.
Ayade noted that the character attributes of President Muhammadu Buhari and the realisation that Cross River, which has been emasculated economically following the ceding of its oil wells, needed to be in sync with the party at the centre, as the main reasons for moving.
The governor said 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.
Responding, Buni said: “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.”
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 were the Minister of State for Petroleum, Chief Timipre Sylva including the 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.
Also, 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, among others.
Recall that during the state congress of PDP in the state, Ayade lost control of the party from the state to the ward levels to Liyel Imoke’s faction. This might have necessitated his exit from PDP.
