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2023 ELECTION : I dumped PDP for APC to take Cross River to the centre, says Ayade

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He told visiting APC governors and leaders inside the Executive chamber in Calabar where he was received into his new party: “Recognizing the role of Cross River State; a state that has been reduced to want in body, spirit and in soul; a state whose revenue and resources had been taken; a state whose territorial boundaries has been tampered with. It is my responsibility to re-socket Cross River State to the centre.

“I, therefore, on behalf of the entire people of the state, to the extent of those that believe in the philosophy of peace, unity and progress, that Cross River State is today formally declared as an APC state.”

Ayade directed the state executive council members, members of the House of Assembly, local government chairmen and other stakeholders, who were present at the declaration, to go to their different wards and register as APC members.

Ebonyi State Governor David Umahi on November 16, last year, moved to the APC from the PDP while Edo State Governor Godwin Obaseki defected on June 18, 2020, the eve of the governorship election, defected from the APC to the PDP. He won his re-election.

Ayade’s defection was hailed by Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Festus Keyamo (SAN), House of Representatives Speaker Femi Gbajabiamila, Deputy Senate President Ovie Omo-Agege, Senator Victor Ndoma-Egba, former APC National Vice Chairman (Southsouth) Hillard Etta, Kwara State chieftain Saliu Mustapha and Chief Obono-Obla.

The PDP chided him for jumping ship.

It advised the Cross River chieftains to ensure that the structure of the party was kept intact.

Ayade’s defection was witnessed by Governors Mai Mala Buni (Yobe), who is the APC National Caretaker Committee Chairman, Hope Uzodima (Imo), Atiku Bagudu (Kebbi), Simon Lalong (Plateau), Kayode Fayemi (Ekiti) and Badaru Abubakar (jigawa). The Minister of State for Petroleum, Chief Timipre Sliva, was also part of the delegation.

Ayade said Cross River State, with her lean resources, could not afford to remain in the opposition.

He noted that President Muhammadu Buhari had been doing his best for the country, adding that he deserved the support of all.

Ayade said: “Having seen the commitment and the sincerity of Mr. President; having seen the progress made so far and the tension created by social media manipulation. “And having recognised the issues and challenges in the state and nation; it is my responsibility as the leader of the people in Cross River State, to do the needful, to assist Mr. President to succeed.

Speaker of the House of Assembly, Eteng Williams, applauded the defection, saying: “What the governor has done is the right thing for the state. We believe in the progress and the good of the state. So we will follow the governor. The new slogan for us is #we move!”

A National Assembly member, Legor Idagbor, representing Obudu, Bakwarra and Obanliku Constituency, also assured of his readiness to follow the governor to the APC.

An elder statesman, Chief Asuquo Ekpeyong, hailed Ayade, saying that Cross River State needed to be with the center.

Expressing delight over the defection, Gbajabiamila said Ayade’s action had shown that APC is the party to beat in the country.

The Speaker, in a statement by his spokesman, Lanre Lasisi, said the Cross River State governor had taken the right decision and shown a good example for others to follow.

He said the ruling party was open to all, urging well-meaning Nigerians to join the APC to move the country forward.

The Speaker noted that APC will continue to be just and fair to all its members.

Omo-Agege, in a statement by his spokesman, Yomi Odunuga, in Abuja, said Ayade has displayed uncommon courage of conviction to take Cross River and the South-South, out of the periphery to mainstream.

He said: “It is remarkable that Governor Ayade, our party’s new leader in Cross River State, had been confronting numerous needless retrogressive intrigues from his former party, but while receiving him with open arms in APC, we unequivocally recognise him as the state party leader.

“The essence of this is to enable him focus on the task of accelerating further people-focussed development in his state by sharing the progressive vision of APC and that of President Muhammadu Buhari.

“Governor Ayade has wasted no time in declaring that he is joining our party so as to bring back Cross River to the centre in order to enhance her fortunes.”

Ndoma-Egba, who commended Ayade, said the governor’s defection will enrich  internal democracy, urging him to be consultative, inclusive, democratic, transparent and accountable.

He said: “I also expect that your presence in the APC will further strengthen the party and improve our electoral fortunes in Cross River State.”

Obono Obla, President Muhammadu Buhari’s former aide, said: “Governor Ayade is human, and he has his good and negative sides, just as I and you.”

He has done his best for Cross River State, and he is still doing his best. Cross River State has a huge debt profile which Governor Ayade inherited, but he has managed the state’s economy excellently, paying salary and doing projects. I salute him. He is a man of sagacity and courage!”

Obono-Obla pledged to work with Ayade to enhance the party’s fortunes.

Etta expressed delight over the governor’s defection; he will as value to the party in the state.

He stressed: “He has joined the party and the best thing to do now is to welcome him. His value will surely increase our chances in 2023 elections. There is a value in having a governor in our party. Some of his supporters will surely follow him, but whether there is going to be mass defection from PDP is a different matter.”

A PDP chieftain, Ndoma Lyod, said the governor’s departure was long expected.

He stressed: “It didn’t come as a surprise to some of us. We knew, he was going to move, only the time we did not know.

“He is free to go to any party of his choice to realise his 2023 ambition, but PDP remains strong in Cross River.”

Lyod said that the state will remain a stronghold a PDP state, adding that Ayade’s defection would not change affected the chapter.

“Cross River is for PDP and nothing can change that,” he maintained.

The Chairman of National Youth Council of Nigeria (NYCN) Dan Obu said the governor had the right to move to any party to pursue his future political ambition.

He said: “As an individual he has the right to chose where to go. The party is just a platform, and he has just changed his political platform.

“We are not a political party but we shall meet at the appropriate time to take a position on where to vote.”

Deputy Speaker of Cross River House of Assembly, Joseph Bassey, who also defected to the APC, said the governor’s move had crumbled the PDP in the state.

He said the governor had moved to the ruling party with members of the House of Assembly, commissioners, elected council chairmen, councilors and over 6,000 political appointees in the state.

“We just have to help Cross River residents by aligning with the centre. Cross River receives the least allocation from the Federal Government and this is not good enough.”

Keyamo, in his official Twitter handle, described Ayade as an enlightened and accomplished governor.

He remarked: “I welcome one of the most cerebral, the most progressive, the most enlightened and the most accomplished, Gov Professor Ben Ayade, to the fold of the progressives. As my elder brother and friend from the South South region, this is the day we have been waiting for”

A former governorship aspirant in Kwara State, Saliu Mustapha said: “Ayade’s decision to join the progressive fold is bold and courageous. It was the right thing to do at this auspicious time in the life of the people of Cross Rivers State, and that of our country, Nigeria.

“In the face of serious national crisis as Nigeria is presently in, there should be a legitimate desire by all political actors to pull together in offering and finding solutions to the crisis at hand.”

Noting that Ayade has taken the right step, he also called on others to join the party.

“For Governor Ayade, the APC will be more than just a home. It is also going to be an ideological pathway. The APC offers him a decent and ethical platform to drive development through politics. The promise will begin to unfold in the days ahead.”

The PDP spokesman, Kola Ologbondiyan, said in a statement that the main opposition party had noted the governor’s defection to the APC.

The PDP called on its all critical stakeholders and members in Cross Rivers State to pull together and ensure that every structure of the party in the state remained intact.

It added: “The PDP wishes Governor Ayade well in his new political sojourn as well as in his future endeavours”.

The APC advised other PDP governors to join the ruling party.

APC Secretary Caretaker Extra-Ordinary Convention Planning Committee (CECPC), Senator John James Akpanudoedehe, in a statement, urged the PDP governors to take a queue from the new defector and abandon the sinking vessel.

Akpanudoedehe, who described PDP as a dead party, urged the remaining governors to leave it for a living and thriving APC.

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Breaking : APC National Chairman, Abdullahi Ganduje, Resigns

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Ganduje, a former Governor of Kano State, cited health reasons for his resignation, stating that he needs to “focus on his well-being.”

Mr. Ganduje’s time as APC chairman has been fraught with controversy and internal challenges.

While his resignation letter attributes his decision to health-related concerns, sources close to the situation suggest that mounting political tensions within the party may have influenced his move to step aside.

There have also been allegations of financial misconduct tied to his leadership, with some party members reportedly protesting against what they described as “excessive financial demands” from his office

 

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BREAKING: At last, Fubara meets with Amaewhule, Rivers lawmakers, as they shared jokes and laughter

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Suspended Rivers Governor Siminalayi Fubarahas met with the suspended Speaker of the House of Assembly, Martins Amaewhule and other aggrieved state lawmakers.

Multiple sources confirmed on Thursday evening the meeting held and ended with Fubara holding the hands of Amaewhule as they shared jokes and laughter.

It was gathered that the meeting, which was held in Abuja, was the first reconciliatory move between the governor and the state lawmakers.

A source, who spoke in confidence, said Fubara’s engagement with the lawmakers was fruitful but added that an enlarged peace meeting would hold to discuss peace terms.

“The suspended Governor is determined to make peace. He has started the real engagement,” the source said.Fubara was suspended from office on March 19 following a state of emergency declared by President Bola Tinubu and ratified by the National Assembly to stop the escalating political crisis in the state.

 

The President appointed former Naval Chief, Vice-Admiral lbok Ete-Ibas for the first six months as an administrator for Rivers to allow the warring politicians to reconcile their differences.

 

Though Fubara had met with his estranged benefactor, Nyesom Wike and President Tinubu on the Rivers situation, the Thursday meeting he held with the lawmakers was said to be the most important step towards genuine reconciliation.

Wike had said on different occasions that to actualise genuine reconciliation Fubara must meet with the various stakeholders he offended especially members of the House of Assembly, whom he withheld their salaries and allowances for over two years.

 

It was learnt the Thursday elicited applauses from various stakeholders in the state including the simplified family of Fubara with many of them describing it as a step in the right direction.

 

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Renewed Hope: Jubilation in A’Ibom as Tinubu, Akpabio Welcome Governor Eno to APC on Saturday

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Security has been heightened in Uyo, the Akwa Ibom State capital, ahead of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s visit for the grand reception of Governor Umo Eno into the All Progressives Congress (APC) on Saturday.

The event, to be held at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium, Uyo, will be hosted by Senate President Godswill Akpabio, alongside the APC National Chairman, Abdullahi Ganduje.

Dignitaries expected at the high-profile reception include members of the Progressive Governors’ Forum, the APC National Working Committee, party chieftains, and key political stakeholders from across Nigeria.

The planned reception was confirmed in a statement issued by Aniekan Umanah, chairman of the media & publicity subcommittee “The All Progressives Congress (APC) is pleased to announce that all is set for the grand reception of the Governor of Akwa Ibom State, His Excellency, Pastor Umo Bassey Eno, Ph.D., and his team into the APC.“The historic event is scheduled to hold on Saturday, June 21, 2025, by noon at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium, Uyo.

  • “His Excellency, Alhaji Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, the National Chairman of the APC, will formally receive Governor Umo Eno and his team into the party, following an official presentation by the Akwa Ibom State APC Chairman, Obong StephenThe event will be graced by the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Federal Republic of Nigeria, and Leader of the APC, His Excellency, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, who will officially welcome Governor Eno into the progressive fold.

“Also expected is the Chief host and President of the Senate, His Excellency, Distinguished Senator Godswill Obot Akpabio GCON, whose presence will further underscore the spirit of unity and political alignment between Akwa Ibom State and the Federal Government. This moment marks a significant milestone in fostering collaboration for the progress and prosperity of the State.

“Other dignitaries expected include members of the Progressive Governors’ Forum, the APC National Working Committee, senior party chieftains, and key political stakeholders from across the country.

“The APC warmly invites traditional rulers, political leaders, women and youth groups, and all citizens and residents of Akwa Ibom State to be part of this historic celebration.

“Come and join us in giving President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the Senate President, and other distinguished guests a rousing welcome as we celebrate unity, progress, and the rising hope of Akwa Ibom State under the APC”, the statement added.

Meanwhile, the state commissioner of police, Baba Azare, disclosed that adequate security is being put in place for the event.

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