APC welcomes Ayade, urges other PDP governors to join its fold
The leadership of All Progressives Congress (APC) on Thursday officially welcomed the Cross State Governor, Ben Ayade, to the party.
The party also congratulated the governor for his wise and timely decision to leave the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
The Secretary of the APC Caretaker and Extra-ordinary Convention Planning Committee, Senator John Akpanudoedehe, who reacted to the development in a statement in Abuja, urged other PDP governors to join the ruling party.
Ayade confirmed his switch to the APC at a meeting with six other governors from the ruling party in Calabar, the state capital.
The governor said he joined the APC to enable him to align with the centre and work with President Muhammadu Buhari to build a better Nigeria.
The APC spokesman commended the patriotic disposition and judgment that shaped Ayade’s decision to join forces with President Buhari to build a better Nigeria as a member of the ruling party.
He said: “The APC is advising other governors of the PDP to exercise the best option of joining the APC.
“The APC is also urging members of the PDP in the National Assembly and State Houses of Assembly who are still hanging on to the party to leave it for good and join the APC.”
Akpanudoedehe added that the APC had been repositioned by the national caretaker committee.
He noted that Ayade had always been an APC man at heart, given the humane and progressive manner he managed the affairs of Cross River.
He assured that the people of Cross River would now enjoy more developmental initiatives based on the APC values of delivering dividends of democracy to improve the well-being of the people.
According to him, the total lack of internal democracy which turned the PDP into a one-man show has caused frustration and alienated its governors and legislators.
“As leader of the APC in Cross River, we call on all our supporters, members, and leaders to rally around, support, and work with Ayade,’’ Akpanudoedehe added.