Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege has described the decision by Governor of Cross River State, Prof Ben Ayade to join the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) as a liberation from the forces of retrogression
The New Diplomat earlier reported that Governor Ayade announced his defection from the opposition’s People’s Democratic Party to the ruling APC on Thursday morning during a meeting with six APC governors, including Chairman of the APC Caretaker Committee, Governor Mai Bala Buni who visited him at the Government House in Calabar.
Ayade said he joined the ruling APC to join hands with the President who is committed to building a prosperous Nigeria.
Reacting to Ayade’s defection to the ruling APC, Senator Omo-Agege who is the leader of APC in the South-South geo-political zone, applauded the Governor for seeing the need to improve his people’s fortunes and further help cement national unity by bringing Cross River State into APC.
In a statement by the Special Adviser, Media and Publicity to the Deputy President of the Senate, Mr Yemi Odunuga, the Delta Central Senator noted that Governor Ayade has displayed uncommon courage of conviction in order to take Cross River and the South-South in general out of the periphery to mainstream politics of the nation.
He was upbeat that with the coming of the governor into the APC, the South-South region is poised to take its rightful place in the nation’s politics.
“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 base 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.
“Light and great vision are never hidden under a bushel. We appreciate all those who have commended Governor Ayade for this timely and courageous move, even as we expect such further declarations in due course.
“Beyond the mere issue of politics, there is much more that all of us, as citizens, can do towards working with President Buhari to enhance the future and unity of Nigeria.
“Again, I commend Governor Ayade for bringing his state into our party and further facilitating possibilities of actualising APC’s progressive manifesto across the entire federation”.
The development, he noted, was unprecedented and a game-changer in the nation’s political development, adding that more governors are set to join the governing party in due course.
