Governor Ben Ayade of Cross River State has opened up on why he left the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) for the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
Cross River State Governor has stated he left the PDP having seen and known President Muhammadu Buhari and all the efforts he has made to bring Nigeria to where it is today, amidst indications that he left the PDP over fracas with Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike.
According to Ayade, the character attributes of President Buhari and the realisation that Cross River needed to be in sync with the party at the center, were the main reasons for his defection.
If every Governor in the country should join hands with Buhari, they can sit on the same dining table with the President to fashion out a way to govern the country properly, Ayade stated.
He 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 need to join hands with him to build a Nigeria that we can be proud of.
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We need all Governors to recognize that it is not party that matters. It is character, it is honor, it is 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 everyone 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.
Today, I am officially announcing my defection to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
APC’s interim chairman and Governor of Yobe State, Mai Mala Buni, speaking on the development, said that he and his team were in the state to formally welcome Governor Ayade to the APC.
Buni and seven APC Governors had held a two-hour meeting with Ayade at the Cross River State Executive Council Chamber, Governor’s Office in Calabar prior to his defection.
The Yobe Governor 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 from today he is the leader of the party in the state.”
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.
