Former Cross River State Governor, Senator Professor Ben Ayade, CON, is being lauded by some political observers as a ‘political prophet’ and ‘champion’ for his decision in 2021 to defect from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC). This move, which saw almost the state’s entire PDP structure join him, is now being highlighted as a strategic decision that has reshaped Cross River’s political landscape and influenced national discourse.
According to a statement from Honorable Emmanuel Akwagiobe, Ayade, then governor under the PDP, “foresaw the death of the party ahead of time and the need to socket the state to the center for the collective interest of Cross Riverians.”
This foresight, Akwagiobe asserts, led to Ayade’s public declaration on May 20, 2021, to join the APC. The defection notably included 196 Councillors, all 18 Chairmen and Vice Chairmen of Councils, State House of Assembly Members, National Assembly members and over 10,000 of his appointees.
While the move was praised by many political actors at the time, it also faced criticism from some “myopic and social commentators,” according to Akwagiobe.
The political impact of Ayade’s decision, however, became evident in the 2023 general elections. Akwagiobe highlights that Ayade “demonstrated capacity and leadership by delivering the state for the All Progressives Congress,” resulting in the election of the first democratically elected APC governor in the South-South geopolitical region, His Excellency, Senator Prince Bassey Otu.
The APC also secured two senatorial seats, six House of Representatives members, and 19 members of the State House of Assembly in Cross River.
Despite these victories for the APC in the state, Ayade himself lost his senatorial election, a “big sacrifice only few can tolerate,” Akwagiobe noted. This sacrifice, he added, underscores why Ayade’s successor, Governor Bassey Edet Otu, refers to him as ‘Our Leader.’
Ayade’s ‘prophetic slogan of socketing to the center’ is now described as a ‘national slogan in the Nigerian political space.’ Akwagiobe pointed to recent movements of governors, senators, and House of Representatives members in Delta and Akwa Ibom states to the center, with ‘high speculations’ that Rivers and Bayelsa states may soon follow suit, as evidence of Ayade’s visionary thinking.
Honorable Emmanuel Akwagiobe concluded by describing Senator Professor Ben Ayade as ‘the man who thinks ahead,’ a ‘system purifier,’ and a ‘pacesetter of our time,’ urging the APC to ‘celebrate and reward him handsomely.’
By: Eugene Upah
