2023: Again, 3 PDP Heavyweights in Cross River Defects to APC

2023: Again, 3 PDP Heavyweights in Cross River Defects to APC

  • The opposition party, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Cross River state has suffered a major setback as three bigwigs in the party defected to the ruling party, the All Progressives Congress (APC)
  • This revelation was made known at a critical stakeholder meeting that was presided over by Governor Ben Ayade, on Wednesday, September 1, at the Peregrino in the state
  • Report indicates that the three former statesmen who were responsible for the success recorded by the PDP from the year 1999 through 2015 are now members of the APC

The crisis rocking the opposition party is a never ending one as three former state chairmen of the party, believed to be responsible for the PDP winning streak from 1999 to 2015, defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC).

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Leadership report that the three politicians who had worked with two ex-governors in the state, are now members of the ruling party.

The defection of Cross River State governor, Senator (Prof.) Ben Ayade to the All Progressives Congress (APC) few months ago, has taken a huge toll on his former party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), which now plays the opposition in the state, having been on the saddle for almost two decades.

3 PDP statesman In Cross River Defects To APC
PDP suffers major blow again as 3 bigwigs of the party in Cross River defects to APC. Photo credit: Sir Benedict Ayade
Source: Facebook

While Ambassador Soni Abang served during Governor Donald Duke’s tenure, Ntufam Ekpo Okon and Ntufam John Achot Okon both served at different times under Governor Liyel Imoke administration.

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Vanguard report indicates that the former chairmen have aligned themselves with the vision of the Governor, Prof. Ben Ayade, who is the leader of the party in the state.

Speaking at a critical stakeholders meeting presided over by Governor Ayade at the Peregrino on Wednesday, September 1, Soni Abang described the governor as a good man and commended him for the initiative of bringing everybody together for the common good of the party and state.

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He said:

“We have come here to talk about our displeasure. What we like and what we don’t like.
“Ladies and gentlemen, if we don’t come together we can never achieve anything together. If it is not your turn, today it doesn’t mean it cannot be your turn tomorrow."

He advised the governor to be wary of people who would want to use his exalted office to serve their personal interests, which in the long run, could throw the entire party into needless crisis.

The former party chairman, who disagreed with the view that one must have structures in place before vying for political office, gave instances of some prominent politicians who made it to the zenith of their career without initially having any politcal structure on the ground.

He said the emphasis on structures could destroy sound political foundations, and that the earlier people perish the idea of having structures before venturing into politics, the better it would be for the political development of the state.

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2023: Presidency Hits Back at PDP, Says More Governors Will Defect to APC

Earlier, Nigerian presidency has fired back at the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for saying that the All Progressives Congress (APC) has turned the Presidential Villa into its headquarters.

It was reported that the PDP governors had at a meeting in Bauchi on Monday, July 26, accused the APC of “parading” coerced PDP members who defected into the ruling party.

Legit.ng gathered that the special adviser to President Muhammadu Buhari on media and publicity, Femi Adesina berated the governors for belly-aching over the misfortune of their party.

Source: Legit.ng

Authors:
Esther Odili avatar

Esther Odili (Politics and Current Affairs Editor) Esther Odili is a journalist and a Politics/Current Affairs Editor at Legit.ng with 6+ years of experience. She Holds OND and HND in Mass Communication from the Nigerian Institue of Journalism (NIJ), where she was recognized as the best student in print journalism in 2018. Before joining Legit.ng, Esther has worked with other reputable media houses, such as the New Telegraph newspaper and Galaxy Television. In 2024, Esther obtained a certificate in advanced digital reporting from the Google News Initiative. Email: esther.odili@corp.legit.ng.