Nigeria former Ambassador to Mali, Chief Soni Abang, has defected to the ruling All Progresives Congress, APC, describing Peoples Demcratic Party, PDP, as home of injustice.
Speaking during the defection ceremony held at his Alike Unit, Iso-Bendeghe in Boki local government at the weekend, Abang, the former Cross River state chapter chairman of PDP, says it became expedient to return to APC and assist in rebuilding and repositioning the party ahead of 2023.
Abang, who was the former PDP State chairman and governorship aspirant, said no reasonable politician would remain in a party where there is high level of injustice and insincerity among the leadership.
He said: “The current word that has been trending in Cross River State in the last three months is injustice and any further attempt to pepetrate injustice would spell doom for the state. For those of us who believe in justice we always fight when injustice begins to thrive.
“The governor defected because of injustice. And when I left PDP for APC in 2015, it was because of injustice. And in 2018 I left the APC again because of the same injustice.
“In 2018, preparatory to general election, APC agreed to zone the governorship slot to Northern Senatorial district for equity and fairness. They rather zoned it to ventral and the party failed because of injustice.”
Recalling his relationship with Ayade dates back to years, he said he came back to PDP in 2019 because the governor’s position was being threatened and therefore needed to join hands with him to build on his vision.
“I saw that Governor Ben Ayade’s position was being threatened in 2019. So i returned to PDP. And coming to PDP to meet him, he said he was moving to APC. So I had to join him because he is my bosom friend. I believe and trust in him. And we have come a long way and that is why we need to join hands with him to rebuild Cross River.”
Regretting his role in making the state a one party state then, Abang said: “When I left PDP in 2015, I told them that my greatest mistake as a party chairman was that I rail-roaded the state into a one party state.
“The level of impunity that metamorphosed from that singular action was regrettable and that we needed checks and balances in our political system. Therefore, we needed to encourage the opposition to win election.
“But unfortunately then opposition was not serious as they had two parallel excos and secretariat. Even during 2019 elections, they had two governorship candidates and they all failed.
“But today, the political scenario is different because we have the Governor, as the leader of the party, elected members at national and state levels and other retinue of political appointees. So I believe that at this time we would begin to look at the challenges as people who are interested in the development of the state.”
He commended the Ayade-led administration for embarking on numerous industrialisation projects, calling on Cross Riverians to collectively think of how to complete them because they would impact positively on the lives of our people forever.
According to him, “if Ayade does not finish them in 2023 it is the duty of APC leaders to give him a successor that would ensure that those humongous projects because there is need for continuity. ”
He promised to work for the party and ensure its victory in 2023, adding “politics is not not a joke. It is a very serious game of interest. I urge you all to be patient. If it has not come to you, it has not passed you because your turn would certainly come.”
Also speaking at the event, the Secretary to State Government, SSG, Tina Banku Obi, said: “Welcome back to APC where you left for PDP. We can now say that with your return to the party, Boki is completely APC.
“The former Ambassador is the spring that all Boki politicians fed from and expressed gratitude that he has returned to APC to help rebuild the party,”
Dignitaries present at the event include Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Rt Hon William Eteng, Sen Bassey Otu, represented, Hon Chris Eta, former House of Representative member for Ikom/Boki federal constituency, Rt Hon Hillary Bisong, member State House of Assembly, serving commissioners, good number of political appointees and party faithful.
Credits: Sun, Judex Okoro in Calabar.
