Former Governor of Cross River State, Ben Ayade, has opened up on the reason for defecting from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2021

Speaking to newsmen shortly after arriving in Calabar on Friday, Ayade explained that the move was strategic and predicated on a clear foresight of Nigeria’s political future.

The former governor stated that his exit from the PDP was informed by his ability to predict the nation’s political trajectory.

“The real truth was that I could see tomorrow. The crystal ball was clear,” he stated.

Ayade explained that as the nation appeared to be “gradually descending into the level of caution” it became imperative to align with the ruling party.

“It was obvious that I saw tomorrow and I knew that the right thing for us to do at that point in time was actually to cross to the ruling party,” he added.

This move, he said, led to the creation of his widely discussed political principle. “And that’s why I came up with the principle of socketing to the centre,” he stated.

Ayade elaborated that achieving this ‘socketing’ required careful planning, “to do so, “it required us to understand and do a dialectical analysis of the situation with a proper surgery of what I need to do to be able to socket properly to the centre,” he maintained.

Reflecting on the ensuing political battles and their consequences, the former governor acknowledged the toll the decision had taken.

He noted that he is currently “carrying these scars, the scars of the battle for the sovereignty of the state.”