Critic hails Ayade’s defection to APC

By Jide Orintunsin, Abuja

Foremost critic of Cross River Governor Ben Ayade and chieftain of All Progressives Congress (APC), Dr. Joseph Odok, has commended the former’s decision to dump the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) for the APC.

The move, he said, will open doors of political victory for the party APC in Cross River.

Addressing newsmen in Abuja at the weekend, Odok who was the opposition voice during the six-year reign of Ayade in PDP, said he has forgiven the Governor despite the alleged persecutions, detention and pains he inflicted on him and family members.

Odok said: “I wholeheartedly welcome my Dear Gov.Prof. Ben Ayade who yesterday dumped PDP for APC with his teaming supporters.

“I do this not as one who was in the party before the Governor but because I respect the new leadership mandate bestowed on him by his position as Governor.

“It is therefore a piece of good news to me that Governor Ayade has joined APC. Though his Government while in PDP was all negative to me, his coming to APC is a big plus to the Cross River State chapter of the party and by extension to me.”

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Expressing optimism over Ayade’s defection to APC, Odok noted the coming of the Governor will expand the party and give it opportunities to win more elections in Cross River.

He assured those who have laboured for years will begin to enjoy the fruit of their sacrifices and labour.

According to him: “Those who will win elections or defect with him will also fund the neglected and suffocating APC support base in Cross Rivers State.

“My joy today is not just because of Gov Ayade’s defection but more so because of the number of people he is coming in with and the opportunities therein.”

Odok, who had suffered a lot of persecution in the last six-year in the state, including 117 days in detention for criticising the PDP afminisy, said he has forgiven the Governor and was ready to work with him to move the state forward.

When asked how he felt after years of persecutions, Odok said: “My personal issues with the Governor are not that important for me to begrudge him. In politics, the party is bigger than any individual and as a loyal party man I should be glad that Cross Rivers State is now an APC State.

“On whether I have personal issues with Gov. Ayade and his politics, categorically, I will say I have. On whether the issues are resolved, I will say that they are still there.

“I am still facing the fabricated charges of terrorism and cyber crime in court. The 117 days I spent in prison custody is a history that will still keep my head high for the pains I bore for standing up as an opposition voice when the Governor was still a PDP member. My woes were basically because of my political stance as an opposition members.

“I and my family went through hell because of how I was fought by the Cross River State Government. The party will help the healing of wounds if it gets interested in the peace of APC Cross Rivers State and resolve all issues the state Government had with all our members in the state.”

He advised the Governor to sin no more by ensuring he continues with his industrialisation programmes and give more attention to agriculture to address unemployment among the teeming youths.