Picture of the political reconfiguration in the South of Nigeria is getting clearer with the defection of Governor Ben Ayade of Cross River State to the All Progressives Congress, APC, after dumping the party that thrust him to limelight.
This has brought to two, the number of governors that had dumped the PDP for the APC. The first was Ebonyi State Governor, Dave Umahi.
Three of the governors from the Southeast and South-south had been reported as angling to secure footholds for themselves in the ruling APC ahead 2023 General elections to properly fit into the post-2023 electoral accommodation.
Members of the troika are Umahi, Ayade and Abia State Governor, Dr Okezie Ikpeazu.
Following the official defection Governor Ayade on Thursday, there were feelers that his colleague and the last of the troika, Dr Ikpeazu would defect to the APC anytime soon.
Ayade’s defection came six months after his Ebonyi state counterpart, Umahi’s, defection to the APC.
The speculation of defections of Umahi, Ayade and Ikpeazu to the APC, which had been on for several months, had seen Umahi and Ayade officially join the APC, setting the stage for Ikpeazu to follow suit.
A serving commissioner in Ikpeazu’s government shortly after Ayade’s defection on Thursday disclosed to our correspondent that Gov. Ikpeazu had concluded plans to join his former party men in the APC .
It was learnt that Ikpeazu is hinging his planned defection on the no love lost relationship between him.and “de facto” Governor of the state.
Ikpeazu, as learnt, has further been encourage by the support and camaraderie demonstrated by APC governors for Ayade.
The governors who were present during Ayade’s defection were Mai Mala Buni of Yobe, Atiku Bagudu of Kebbi, Hope Uzodinma of Imo, Simon Lalong of Plateau, Badaru Abubakar of Jigawa and Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti.
With his defection, Mr Ayade has become the only APC governor from the South-South geopolitical zone.
The ruling party had lost its only governor in the zone last year when Godwin Obaseki of Edo crossed to the PDP, months to the governorship election in that state. He won re-election on that platform.
With Mr Ayade in the APC, the governing party now has 21 governors, the PDP 14 and the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) one.
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