The 2023 Deputy Governorship candidate of the People’s Democratic Party in Cross River State, Dr. Emana Ambrose-Amawhe, has officially defected to the All Progressives Congress.
The announcement was made during a well-attended ceremony on Friday, May 2, at her ward in Akpabuyo Local Government Area.
In her address, Ambrose-Amawhe emphasized that her decision was driven by the developmental strides of the APC at both state and national levels, rather than personal gain.
“I took the decision to cross over to the All Progressives Congress. First off, seeing the good works my governor, His Excellency Bassey Otu, has been doing. It’s only the blind who don’t hear when good things are happening. I’m excited to be a part and parcel of the All Progressives’ family. I was a deputy governorship candidate of the People’s Democratic Party, and a daughter of Cross River South,” she stated.
Addressing concerns about the national economic situation, she added, “Then, at the national level, there are those who would say, things are hard, the economy is not looking up, and all of that. I would like to tell them that nothing good happens overnight. The president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria has placed the right pegs in the right holes. Bit by bit, day after day, we are moving closer to an uptick in our economy. All the other good things put together, these are the reasons why I decided to come back to the All Progressive Congress as a Cross Riverian.”
Ambrose-Amawhe further clarified that her move was not motivated by hunger or the pursuit of appointments but by a desire to collaborate with those in power to deliver democratic dividends to her constituents. She urged opposition members to actively participate in governance rather than resort to criticism.
“I’m a nation-builder, that’s why I am now part of the APC. The thing is that nobody is being forced to join the APC. If there is going to be opposition, we need viable opposition parties. When the opposition parties are not able to put their acts together, and there’s a lot of dissension within the ranks of these opposition parties, it’s obvious they are not ready to do the business of the day. So, for me, I’m a business-minded person, so I go where people mean business, and they do not just mean business, they are working towards achieving those dreams. Don’t be a keyboard warrior, criticising the government. Come in, bring your ideas, come and partner, come and join hands to build a better Cross River and a better Nigeria,” she added.
Ambrose-Amawhe’s defection comes on the heels of significant political realignments in neighboring Delta State. On April 23, 2025, Delta State Governor Sheriff Oborevwori and his predecessor, Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa, along with other prominent PDP members, officially joined the APC. The announcement followed a closed-door meeting at the Government House in Asaba, signaling a major shift in the state’s political landscape.
The move was confirmed by the governor’s Chief Press Secretary, Sir Festus Ahon, who stated that Oborevwori’s decision was made after “extensive consultations with political stakeholders” and aimed at advancing Delta’s long-term development.
However, the defection has not been without controversy. Senator Ovie Omo-Agege, former Deputy Senate President and 2023 APC governorship candidate in Delta State, publicly opposed the inclusion of Oborevwori and Okowa into the APC ranks. He asserted that while the party is open to welcoming other PDP members, it has no interest in accepting the duo, citing concerns over their political records.
