By Obio Monday
Barring any last minute change, the Cross River State Governor, Sen. Prof. Ben Ayade appears set to dump the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the All Progressives Congress (APC).
GRASSROOT REPORTERS gathered that efforts to reconcile the governor and some National Assembly members from the state and the Rivers State Governor, Ezenwo Nyesom Wike has hit a brickwall, as all warring parties has refused to shift ground.
Multiple sources told GRASSROOT REPORTERS that the rally organized on Thursday for the governor by the 18 local government chairmen and their councillors as well as all the governor's appointees was to assure the governor that they were ready to defect with him should he decide to jump ship, and to send a message to the PDP that the governor is in control in the 18 LGAs.
The governor had lost control of the party structure to the National Assembly members. This did not go down well with the governor and his loyalists. The governor's camp had inaugurated a parallel Ward and Chapter executive, which the National Working Committee (NWC) of the PDP immediately discredited, recognizing the National Assembly members backed Exco.
While receiving the Governor of Bauchi State, Sen. Bala Mohammed in Government House, Calabar, last month, Governor Ayade threatened to leave the PDP if the injustice meted to him is not corrected.
He said:
“I cannot blind myself to the challenges of PDP and decide not to know what to do at the right time for the Cross River people sake.
“I know you (Bala) are somebody that doesn’t take injustice. One single injustice they will see a new Cross River state.”
The governor threatened that one single injustice against him and his followers, he'll take a big decision “... and I say it as a warning because it does appears that your party seems to celebrate people who threaten and stress them.”
“All councillors in the state are PDP, council chairmen are PDP, all House of Assembly members are PDP, all commissioners are PDP, and all the National Assembly members except one are PDP: all of them are under my leadership”.
“So today I am seated and dancing on the fence. Indeed that’s true.
“And so I speak with righteous anger for the continuous annoyance and nuisance orchestrated on our innocent by external factors. But I just hope this ends today
“While I believe in ecclesiastics of peace, I believe in the catechism of good faith but I also believe in respect for the supremacy of an office.
“So if you take a catalytic combination of all I have said, it tells you that there is the need for a guided caution and at some persons going forward as a people, as a party.
“I think the time has come when all of us will gather and say enough is enough.”
Ayade, Deputy Absent At PDP Governors' Meeting
The governor's absence yesterday at the meeting of the PDP governors in Makurdi, Benue State, has further fuelled his defection moves.
The PDP governors rose from the meeting to demand the devolution of power and restructuring of the country.
The meeting had in attendance, the PDP Governors of Sokoto State, Aminu Tambuwal, Okezie Ikpeazu (Abia), Udom Emmanuel (Akwa Ibom), Douye Diri (Bayelsa), Samuel Ortom (Benue), Ifeanyi Okowa (Delta), Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi (Enugu), Nyesom Wike (Rivers), Seyi Makinde (Oyo), Darius Ishaku (Taraba), Umaru Fintiri (Adamawa), Godwin Obaseki (Edo) and Bello Mattawalle (Zamfara).
Governor Bala Mohammed of Bauchi State was represented by his deputy, Baba Tela.
The Cross River State governor was the only PDP governor missing at the meeting. He was neither represented by his deputy, Prof. Ivara Esu.
When GRASSROOT REPORTERS contacted the Senior Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to the governor, Mr. Christian Ita for comment, he said:
"Was he the only governor that was absent? Go and ask Wike (Rivers State governor) why he was absent. It is only when it is Ayade that you put a spin to it. I asked a simple question, was he the only governor that was absent? No!
"So what's the big deal about it. The one they did the last time, didn't he attend in Abuja? He did. So if exigencies of office did not allow him to attend this time around, I don't think we should give any spin to it".
On moves by the governor to defect to the APC, Mr. Ita said:
" Are you hearing about that one today? They've been saying he'll defect since 2015, has he defected? We've responded to this overtime and we are tired of responding".
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