By Ekanem Wylie
The pragmatic and people-oriented approach to governance by Gov Bassey Edet Otu has led to massive defection from opposition party members to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in Cross River state.
The scale of defection has seriously weakened the foundation of the main opposition party, the People Democratic Party, (PDP) as no week passes without reports of defections from the hills of Obanlikwu in the northern senatorial district down to the creeks of Bakassi in the south.
This has resulted in the State APC secretariat witnessing a beehive of activities as if a pilgrimage of some sort was ongoing in the state.
Pillar Today was able to confirm that the membership strength of APC in the state has witnessed a dramatic upsurge leading to fears that by 2027 general election, the ruling APC may encounter no stiff competition from any quarters in its quest to retain power.
A source close to the camp of the PDP gubernatorial flag bearer in the last elections, disclosed that most of Prof Sandy Onor’s close associates were in a high level negotiations for a no distance defection to the APC even as most of his political foot soldiers have already jumped boat to prepare grounds for the eventual and final lowering of PDP flag in the state.
The source further pointed out that the recent change of party membership cards by the likes of Hon Efa Esua, former member of the Cross River state House of Assembly, Hon Paulinus Asim, former PDP chapter chairman of Akamkpa and a lot more, are enough danger signal that the southern and central senatorial districts of the state were under the firm control of APC and that no strategic politician would go to bed comfortably with such disturbing realities.
