Mass defection to APC hits PDP in Cross River Central district
…Assembly member decamps, says APC candidate more popular, acceptable
By our admin
The fortune of the All Progressive Congress in Cross River State ahead of next year’s governorship election swelled on Friday evening in Yakurr local government area of the central senatorial district of the state as many defected from the PDP to the APC.
A serving member of the State assembly, representing Yakurr 1 state constituency, Hon. Nelson Ofem, said they decided to join APC because APC has a candidate that is dynamic and humble, a candidate who is more acceptable to his people and more popular.
The defection was one of the highlight of the event in Yukurr local government area on friday evening when the Governorship Candidate of the APC, Senator Prince Bassey Otu touched down in the area as part of his consultation and thank you tour to delegates of the party who practically voted for him in the party primaries with financial inducement.
Hon Ofem is among the six members in the 24 members legislature that remained innthe PDP when 18 others followed the governor to decamp to the APC.
Speaking further of the APC governorship candidate and his reasons to defect at this time, Hon. Ofem said “Anybody that has a good conscience must support Sen Prince Bassey Otu. We have discovered that APC has a candidate that is dynamic and humble, that’s why we decided to switch”.
He led thousands of defectors who shared his views to the APC not minding that the PDP candidate is from the same central senatorial district.
Receiving the defectors in Ugep, Yakurr Local government, the State APC Chairman, Barr Alphonsus Eba Ogar, assured them of fairness and equity in their new party, adding that APC remained an indivisible and united party in the state.
Meanwhile, the governorship candidate under the All Progressives Congress (APC) in next year’s general elections in Cross River State, Sen Prince Bassey Otu, has completed his thank you and consultative tour in the central senatorial district with traditional council institutions and party stalwarts in all six local government areas that made up the central senatorial district.
Addressing crowd of supporters across the central senatorial district, the governorship candidate in all locations stressed that he didn’t come for campaign rather he decided to embark on the tour to say thank you to the delegates who voted him during the primaries and to hear directly from the people their plight, so as to include it in his administration blueprint. He pledged direct governance to the people, saying he seeks to liberate the people from poverty by bringing governance to the doorstep of every resident of the state and promised to make Cross River State compete with other state, noting that he has the formula to take the state out of the situation she found herself.
At the tour, many indigenous sons of the central senatorial district, the likes of former Senate Leader, Senator Victor Ndoma Egba, Amb Soni Abang, Hon Alex Egbona, Prof Anthony Owan Enoh, Hon Mike Etaba, Chief Okoi Obono Obla, and other prominent leaders in the central senatorial district of the State have vowed to work toward the emergence of Senator Prince Bassey Edet Otu as governor.
In his entourage were his wife, Rev. Mrs Eyoanwan Bassey Otu, the Deputy Governorship candidate, Rt. Hon. Peter Odey, the leadership of the APC in the state led by Barr Alphonsus Eba Ogar, APC State Chairman, Deputy State Chairman, Hon. Eka William and members of the State working committee, Director General of his campaign organisation H.E. Amb. Soni Abang, Chief Peter Ojie, Hon. Julius Okpotu, High Chief Edem Duke, Sen. Victor Ndoma Egba, Ntufam Fidelis Ugbo, Bishop Alex Ukam, amongst other critical stakeholders.