Buni Welcomes Ayade into APC

By Adedayo Akinwale

The Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Caretaker Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee and the Governor of Yobe state, Hon. Mai Mala Buni, Thursday received Cross River state Governor Dr. Ben Ayade who joined the APC from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Buni made this known in a statement issued Thursday by his Director General of Press and Media, Mr. Mamman Mohammed.

The Cross River State governor has been having problems with the PDP over the conduct of the last state congress in the state where he lost control of the structures in the state.

He was absent at the last PDP governors’ meeting in Ibadan, Oyo State.

However, following speculations that he might defect to the APC, the Chairman of PDP Governors’ Forum and Sokoto State Governor, Hon. Aminu Tambuwal; Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta and Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State recently visited him to persuade him not to leave the opposition party.

On Wednesday, Governors elected on the platform of APC stormed Calabar, Cross River State capital, to lobby Ayade to defect from PDP.

The governors who visited Ayade were: Dr. Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti State; Senator Hope Uzodimma of Imo State; Hon. Simon Lalong of Plateau State; and Buni.

Detaols later….