Cross-River State governor, Ben Ayade, has explained that he defected from the Peoples Democratic Party, (PDP), to the All Progressive Congress, (APC), in order to ‘help build Nigeria’.
Ayade announced his defection yesterday after meeting with some APC governors in Calabar, the State capital.
Citing the reason for his defection, the governor stated that he is committed to joining forces with President Muhammadu Buhari in building a country we can be proud of.
“Having seen and known the president 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”, he stated.
“We need all the governors to recognise that it is not the party that matters; it is character, honour, commitment to the vision of this great nation.
“We all need to work as a team … 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 State governor is the second PDP governor to join APC, after Dave Umahi of Ebonyi State.
The chairman of the APC National Caretaker Committee, Mai Mala Buni, who led the governors to the State, said Ayade will henceforth lead the Party in the State.
