Barely three months after the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) lost a serving senator to the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Cross River State, a former long-serving member of the House of Representatives, Hon. Essien Ayi, has also defected to the ruling party.
Ayi, who represented the Calabar South/Akpabuyo/Bakassi Federal Constituency on the platform of the PDP, formally joined the APC on Sunday.
It will be recalled that in October this year, the senator representing the Northern Senatorial District of Cross River State, Senator Jarigbe Agom Jarigbe, defected from the PDP to the APC, citing internal crises within the opposition party.
Hon. Ayi served in the House of Representatives for nearly 20 years, from 2003 to 2023, before he lost his seat to the current lawmaker, Joseph Bassey, in the 2023 general elections.
Bassey’s victory over Ayi, who was widely regarded as a strong grassroots mobiliser, was considered a major upset by many of his supporters, given Ayi’s long-standing political influence across Calabar South, Akpabuyo and Bakassi local government areas.
On Sunday, Ayi officially picked up the APC membership form and registered in Ward 8, amid celebrations by party leaders, supporters and political associates from across the state.
His defection is considered a significant setback for the PDP, particularly in the Southern Senatorial District, as well as across the state, given his experience and influence in grassroots mobilisation.
However, the Publicity Secretary of the PDP in Cross River State, Mr. Mike Ojisi, downplayed the development, insisting that the party would not be affected by Ayi’s departure.
Ojisi described the defection as a normal political occurrence, noting that while some members leave the party, others continue to join.
“His decamping to the APC will not affect our party. People have been defecting from the PDP, and the party is still in existence. Even Senator Jarigbe Agom Jarigbe, who was a major financier of the party in the state, defected, yet the PDP remains strong,” he said.
