Ayade’s Defection Has Crippled PDP In Cross River – Joseph Bassey

Deputy Speaker of Cross River House of Assembly, Joseph Bassey, has reacted after Governor Ben Ayade officially defected to All Progressives Congress (APC).

Bassey was engaged in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) where he revealed that the governor has the masses and it would pose a serious threat to the PDP in the state.

In his words: “I have already moved with the governor. Cross River is now an APC state and the House of Assembly has also moved with the governor. We just have to help Cross River residents by aligning with the center. Cross River receives the least allocation from the Federal Government and this is not good enough.

“In the past six years, Cross River has been an opposition party; this is the first time we are missing touch with the center. We don’t have oil wells, our allocation is low. Ayade has tried in using his intellectual capacity and ability to attract some federal government presence into the state.

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“We are left with two years in this administration and we must align with the center for the interest of the state,” For somebody like Ayade who has gone far to appoint over 6,000 persons into his government, it will be a difficult moment for PDP in Cross River.

“I think today marks the official burial ceremony of PDP in Cross River and this will affect the national because I see other governors joining the APC soon. With this movement, some of our people can now get better appointments at the center. For us in Cross River we have moved,”