Governor Ben Ayade, governor of Cross River, has dumped the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The two-time governor said he was joining the ruling party to help President Muhammadu Buhari achieve his goals of restoring peace to Nigeria and boosting the economy.
He made the announcement on Thursday morning in a meeting with six APC governors who visited him at the Government House in Calabar.
At a ceremony which was also graced by APC national caretaker chairman and Governor Mai Mala Buni of Yobe state, he declared that Ayade was the party leader in Cross River State.
Speaking on his defection, Ayade said, “This morning, I formally joined the All Progressives Congress. This decision was borne out of the need to bring Cross River State in sync with the policies and programs of the federal government.
“I believe that if everyone of us as governors joins hands with Mr President, I think we can sit on the same dining table and fashion out a way to govern this country,” he added.
He then went on to explain that it was not about party politics for him. “We need all governors to recognize that it is not party that matters. It is character, it is honor, it is commitment to the vision of this great nation.
“We all need to, as a team, work ahead of the President by working towards building a prosperous country that the succession worries of 2023 will come without the fears and the worries the international community has for us.”