Akpabio persuades Ayade to remain in PDP

The Senate Minority Leader and former Governor of Akwa Ibom State, Dr Godswill Akpabio, has called on Gov. Ben Ayade of Cross River State to remain in the PDP.

Akpabio was a guest at this year’s Children’s Day celebration, held at the UJ Esuene Stadium, Calabar, on Saturday, where he donated N3 million.

He said the donation was for the support of children, youths and women who had turned the march past into a political rally for Governor Ayade.

Insider sources said Akpabio was actually in the state to persuade Ayade to stay in the PDP and identify more with its events.

It would be recalled that Senator Akpabio, alongside the Deputy governor of Akwa Ibom State, had in April this year “sneaked” into Calabar and met with Ayade in his office.

At the time, state authorities said the visit was over the lingering border dispute between the two sister states but pundits gave it political colouration.

There had been strong speculations of recent, with leadership of the APC alluding that Ayade was in good terms with them.

Within the PDP, some officials were indirectly complaining that Ayade was hobnobbing with key officials of the national ruling party.

Ayade had once told reporters that he worked more for President Muhammadu Buhari than many APC governors because the president saw him as his godson.