Ita-Giwa Goes On A Second Missionary Journey To APC, Cites Ayade |The Source

By Akinwale Kasali

For the second time, Senator Florence Ita-Giwa, popularly known as Mama Bakassi, has dumped the party which brought her into prominence, the People’s Democratic Party. And for the second time, she joined the All Progresssives Congress, APC.

The former Senator who was Special Assistant to erstwhile President Olusegun Obasanjo, followed the footpaths of Governor Ben Ayade of Cross Rivers State who also defected to the APC from PDP.

In deed, during his first political journey to the APC, she angrily  left Ayade behind in the PDP.  According to a story she told a couple of her friends at the Protocol Lounge of the Local Wing of the  Murtala Mohammed International Airport at the time, he and the Governor had planned to dump the PDP for the APC at the same time. But she said the Governor kept delaying, kept shifting the date of their exit. So she left for the APC, describing the PDP at the time as “Now a party of small, small boys”.

But she was to jump back to the PDP months to the 2019 General Elections, describing the APC as unorganised. This current defection is, therefore, his second missionary journey to the APC.

Attributing her exit to Ayade defection to the APC, Ita-Giwa said wherever Cross River State Governor, Ayade, goes she goes.

Speaking to Journalists in Calabar after the Governor defected to APC,she said that the Governor is the Political Leader in the state and she will always go where he leads.

“We have a leader in the State and wherever he moves to, my loyalty is with him”.

Ita-Giwa who was a founding member of All Nigeria People’ Party (ANPP) had moved between PDP and APC four times since 1999.

Giving reasons for defection, she said the State Political leader, Ayade, has been

unjustly treated by the PDP and the Party was meddling in the affairs of the State forcing him to move to APC.

Ayade had declared on Thursday, “It is my responsibility to bring back Cross River to the center to enhance our fortune. We need to work ahead with our President for the future of our country”

He said the territorial integrity of the State has been interfered with and his responsibility is to “resocket’ the State back to its proper disposition.

The Speaker of the Cross River House of Assembly, Eteng Jonah Williams said he will join the Governor in his new political voyage.

Others who were present at the Executive Chambers of the Governor’s Office ready to join him include Senator Stephen Odey of Northern District of the state, Mr. Legor Idagbo representing Obudu/Obanlikwu/ Bekwara Federal constituency, and Mike Etaba of Obubra/Etung federal constituency in the House of Representatives.

Governor Ayade had been having a running battle with members of the National assembly who took control of the party executives at the expense of the Governor who primarily owns the State’s political structure.

In January and February 2020, the ward and Local Government Congresses of the PDP were hijacked and taken over by PDP Executives, leaving Ayade with just Obudu and Obanlikwu.

The Executive Council is expected to be dissolved soon to make room for the inclusion of APC members.