The battle for the soul of Cross River state has continued to gather momentum as about 5, 000 All Progressives Congress (APC) members have defected to Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the Northern senatorial District.
Vanguard learned that the defectors include, former APC wards and chapter officers, women leaders, leaders of Hausa community in Ogoja, Yala, Bekwarra, Obanliku and Obudu as well as LP candidates in the last Ogoja/Yala federal Constituency and aspirants in the last congresses.
Receiving the defectors at TTC field Igoli-Ogoja on Saturday, the Vice Chairman of PDP Northern Senatorial district, Chief Austine Edibe, lauded them for their courage to join the party at this nick of time.
He enjoined them to go back to their respective wards and work for the success of PDP in 2023, adding that the wards that deliver highest votes would be re-warded with more dividends of democracy.
One of the defectors and a former chapter treasurer of APC Obudu, Agim Joseph Agim, said they came back to PDP because of the love for Sen Jarigbe and to be part of the success story ahead of 2023.
On his part, Ushie James Odey, former APC secretary Ukpah ward in Bekwarra, said: “We have worked for APC for seven years and I got nothing neither was I empowered. So, I decided to defect to PDP where I can be given human treatment.”
For John Brown Ugbada from Yala, he said: “I came over with about 300 APC members. We are returning to PDP to enable us to work for PDP and reposition Yala local government area.”
