Cross River State Governor Ben Ayade has dumped the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) for the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
Governor Ayade announced his decision on Thursday morning in a meeting with six APC governors who visited him at the Government House.
APC delegation was led by Yobe Governor Mai Mala Buni, who is also the National Caretaker Committee chairman of the APC.
Earlier, it was reported that some governors in the All Progressives Congress were already in Calabar ahead of their meeting with Governor Ben Ayade today.
They arrived Wednesday evening according to a source.
The four governors are: Dr. Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti State; Senator Hope Uzodimma of Imo State; Hon. Simon Lalong of Plateau State; and the Chairman of APC National Caretaker Committee and Yobe State Governor, Mr Mai Mala Buni.
It was, however, gathered that Jigawa State Governor, Mr Abubakar Badaru, and his Kebbi State counterpart, Mr Abubakar Atiku Bagudu, could not make it to Calabar as bad weather conditions did not allow their aircraft to land.
Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Mr Timipre Sylva, was also said to be in the APC team.
A source had said, “They have held a meeting with the governor and they will address the press tomorrow (today),” he said.
He said he was not aware of the governor’s response to their mission.
The Cross River State governor has been having problems with the PDP over the conduct of the last state congress in the state where he lost control of the structures in the state.
He was absent at the last PDP governors’ meeting in Ibadan, Oyo State.
Following speculations that he might defect to the APC, the Chairman of PDP Governors’ Forum and Sokoto State Governor, Hon. Aminu Waziri Tambuwal; Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta and Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State recently visited him to persuade him not to leave the opposition party.
