By Stanley Ekpenyong, Calabar
Cross River State’s political firmament, Thursday, witnessed a significant shift as Governor Ben Ayade announced his defection to the All Progressives Congress, APC.
The Governor’s defection is the climax of his running battle with stakeholders in the State chapter of the Peoples Democtratic Party, PDP, a party on which platform he won election as Senator in 2011 and Governor in 2015 and 2019.
He, however, lost the Party’s structures to members of the National Assembly from the State in 2020, after Ward and Local Government Congresses.
Ayade defected despite entreaties from PDP National Leadership of the party and its Governors.
In March, he told Governor Bala Muhammed of Bauchi state who was on troubleshooting to Calabar that he was sitting on the fence, and that any further injustice from the PDP, he would move.
In April, the PDP despatched Governors Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto, Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta, and Ifeanyi Ugwuayi of Enugu to Calabar to persuade him not to leave, assuring that the PDP structure would be returned to him.
The sudden arrival of six APC Governors Wednesday to Calabar- Kayode Fayemi, Hope Uzodinma, Mala Mai Buni, Simon Lalong, Muhammed, Badaru Abubarkar and Atiku Bagudu- changed the calculations.
Flanked by the APC Governors at the Executive Council Chambers of the Governor’s office, Calabar, Professor Ayade said he was moving to the APC to key into the vision of President Muhammadu Buhari for Nigeria.
“We all need to, as a team, work ahead of the present by working towards building a prosperous country. 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”, he said.
He stated that his defection also stemmed from the need to bring Cross River to the centre.
Shortly after his defection, Governor Buni, who is the Interim National Chairman of APC declared the Cross River State governor Leader of the party in the state.
Buni: “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.”
There are feelers that some Commissioners and political appointees in the Ayade Government whose allegiance is to the National Assembly members will, in the coming days resign their appointments.
Many of them wore long faces as the Governor announced his defection.
But Ayade had, while expressing his frustrations before Gov. Bala Mohammed, said if he moved, it would be with all the Members of his Executive Council, the State House of Assembly, Chairmen and Councillors of Local Government Areas.
However, impeccable sources told The Source that the Governor was set to dissolve his Cabinet to reflect the new political realities in the state.
Reacting to Ayade’s defection, a PDP chieftain in the State told The Source that nobody should blame the Governor. He attributed his defection to what he called the suffocating stranglehold on the PDP by a South-south Governor. He said unless the Party Leadership calls him to order, a couple of more Governors could leave the party.
“I hope this teaches the PDP a lesson. One man wants to be in control of his State, and those of other Governors. It is not done. He is not the only one funding the party. The PDP should watch out for Bauchi and Zamfara State, Zamfara in particular.”
By Ayade’s defection, the APC now has a footing in all the Zones of the Federation.
