Ayade Dismisses Defection Rumors

Cross River State governor, Ben Ayade, has dismissed reports insinuating he is set to join the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the All Progressives Congress (APC).

The governor in a statement sent to THE WHISTLER, on Friday, by his Chief Press Secretary, Christian Ita, described the claim as “fake news”, saying he is committed to the PDP.

“There is absolutely no truth to the report that Governor Ayade is defecting to the APC. It is fake news,” Ita said.

“It is the fertile imagination of the author of the report. The governor has a relationship with the President based on governance.

“So there is a need for us as a people to understand that governance is different from politics. Ayade is a committed PDP member.”

Last Wednesday, the Cross River State APC, protested the alleged planned defection of governor.

Protesting at the National Secretariat of APC, in Abuja, the Cross River youths, bearing placards warned that they would do everything to resist Ayade’s plan.

The group’s spokesperson, Sankara Unung, told newsmen that the party stakeholders in state were not comfortable with the antics of the governor.

According to him; “Ayade is a man with grand scale skimming techniques. APC does not have any space for him and his ilk.

Rumors of Ayade’s defection was fueled recently after he was included in the delegation to travel with President Muhammadu Buhari for the Joint ECOWAS/ECCAS Summit in Togo.

The Cross River governor was the only delegate from the PDP.