More members of the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, have defected to the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, in Calabar Municipal Local Government Area of Cross River state.
The defectors include a stalwart of the PDP, Francis Effiom, and many of his supporters.
One of the defectors from the Ward-8 Chairman, Bernard Iso, said that their move was intended to contribute positively to Governor Bassey Otu’s administration, rather than detract from it.
“This decision is predicated on what is so obvious. The governor of Cross River State Prince Bassey Otu has shown capacity and willingness to touch the lives of the people. I am talking about my ward Ward 8, Ikot Ansa, Calabar Municipal Local Government Council.
“Within the first year that Senator Bassey Otu became a governor, he had fixed two major roads in my community. One is the road leading to the highway through zone 6 to the NPC depot, to the port side via the industrial Park where you have the bulk of the tank farms in Calabar.
“That road used to be almost inaccessible until Prince Bassey Edet Otu became governor. Today if you drive through that road, it has become a dual carriageway from Murtala Mohammed Highway to the Calabar River where it terminates.
“On the Eastern flank of our community, the Ndidem Usang Iso Bolivat, where the road began, starting from our community. The first phase of the road, Prince Bassey Edet Otu, has just commissioned that road, despite spending only one year in office. Our local community road at Asim Itah Street, which had been abandoned for some decades, Prince Bassey Edet Otu had fixed it,” he said.
While advising supporters who are yet to make up their minds to quit the PDP for their new party, Effiom said: “If we who are the pillars of the PDP up to the ward leader, Ntufam Bernard Iso, myself, the ward chairman of PDP Francis Asi, the entire ward structure of PDP has moved today into the APC, every other person should just flow inside.”
The defectors sang solidarity songs, held and raised brooms, chanted the slogans of the ruling Party, and pledged their loyalty moving forward.