300 new members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Cross River State have joined the People's Democratic Party (PDP) in Obudu.
The event happened in Ipoun Ward. The defection rally took place concurrently with the Ipoun New Yam Festival, which was organised by the PDP leadership in Ipoun, which is the political ward of Prof. Ben Ayade, the governor of Cross River State.
The state's PDP chairman, Venatius Ikem, stated that after meeting the residents of Ipoun, they had a very promising future.
Ikem added, “It is the PDP that elevated our brother to his present position, and if he has forgotten, his brothers and sisters here have not.
“You wish he could touch us better than this. Nevertheless, we are moving forward and not backward in Ipoun. Today, we say goodbye to a bad thing. There is a future for Ipoun. It is very bright and that is what I stand to guarantee.
“When your brother left, some of you stood back. Let nobody intimidate you as we are the foundation in this ward”, he said.
The state party chairman said that the PDP values membership would live by its values and work to bring people together.
Francis Atsua, who is the head of the PDP chapter in Obudu, said that they decided to use the event to kill two birds with one stone.
“They invited us in the name of a new Yam Festival, so we decided to use one stone to kill two birds. This is the governor’s ward and is purely a PDP affair. Three hundred people from the APC defected to the PDP today. All they are enjoying in this ward is courtesy of the PDP,” he said.
Hon. Prisca Abetianbe, who spoke for the defectors, said that they had come to confess and ask for forgiveness and that the day was significant.
“We are here to confess, repent, and be very happy, for this is an important day. Ipoun wants good governance; we say God-fearing leaders in the PDP and many other good things, and we are happy to be part of this,” she said.
Dr Undie Ugar had said earlier in his welcome speech that they had gotten the party back on track in Ipoun.
He said that they had hoped to celebrate more now that their son was governor, but that hadn’t happened.
He did, however, promise they would reach their goal if they worked together.
He said that the PDP is still alive and well in Ipoun, and he is looking forward to having even more success in 2023.