Governor of Cross River State, Ben Ayade, says more PDP Governors would soon join the All Progressives Congress (APC), citing President Muhammadu Buhari’s integrity, character and quality of leadership as the reasons for defecting.

Ayade disclosed this when he featured on Politics Today, a current affairs programme on Channels Television, on Thursday after he defected from PDP to APC, however did not name them.

He admitted that the PDP stood by him during his political travails, said if the 2023 transition is not handle properly, adding that the political and economic crisis in Somalia will be like a child’s play compared to Nigeria.

“As to whether there are issues in the PDP, no. The party stood by me all through the way. In any other legal issue that I have had, PDP had stood with me. PDP gave me the opportunity to be a senator; PDP gave me the opportunity to be governor. I would never have any time to pull down PDP. I have integrity, character and honour. My politics have ethics. My decision to join APC is to join the President to reduce the tension in the Country”.

He said: “I don’t believe that by this decision, it is disloyal to the party (PDP). Even all through the time I spoke about my defection, I never spoke about PDP. So, for me, APC is the party to go to at this point in time because if this nation does not have a smooth transition in 2023, what we talk about Somalia will be like a child’s play.

According to him, “My decision to move has nothing to do with my relationship with the PDP, it has everything to do with my understanding of the challenges of this nation at this time. My respect for the integrity, character and quality of leadership that President Muhammadu Buhari has brought. I feel depressed when the nation is challenged with security issues. Instead of us rising as an orgasmic whole to see how we can support the President to deal with these foreign herders that are colonising our various roads and farms, we rather sit back; we tend to create an impression as if the government is not doing well.

Governor has had a running battle the leadership of the PDP in the State after his cronies lost out in the Congresses that produced the current PDP State Executive Council (SEC).

In the mean time, the national Publicity Secretary of PDP, Mr Kola Ologbodiyan, has wished the Governor of Cross River State well in his future endeavour, but advised members of the party to stay together.

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