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RachaelB

APC: Rally For Ayade In Calabar (

Cross River state governor, Professor Ben Ayade Thursday explained that his decision to defect to the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC was in the best interest of the state as it will unlock its economic potentials.Addressing thousands of members of Coalition of APC Support Groups drawn from the 18 local government areas of the state at a solidarity rally held at the open field overlooking the Governor's Office, Calabar, Ayade who last week dumped the opposition Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, for the APC stated that his defection stemmed from the urgent need to connect the state to the centre, arguing that " a state like Cross River with the lowest federal allocation and heavily indebted cannot continue to be in the opposition to fight rather than sit together in a larger forum and negotiate together to bring value and economic benefits to our dear people.”Among those with the governor to receive the rallying youths were the state deputy governor, Prof Ivara Esu and the APC governorship candidate in the 2019 elections, Senator John Owan-Eno.According to the governor, Cross River has immense but untapped mineral deposits in Bakassi, Biase, Ikom, Yala, Boki, Odukpani among other parts of the state, noting that " we need to sucket to the centre to bring value, to explore these natural mineral deposits...A party is a vehicle and the appropriate vehicle to usher in prosperity to Cross River is the APC.”