President Muhammadu Buhari received the Cross River State Governor, Professor Ben Ayade, who recently defected from the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, to the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC today, with the governor confirming that he joined the ruling party to reduce the threat to national unity.

The governor came two weeks after he dumped his previous party to the ruling party.

Addressing state house correspondents after a brief meeting with the president, the governor said though he was expected to be introduced by the leadership of the APC, he was led to the President by the Chief of Staff to the President, Professor Ibrahim Gambari.

Ayade said until he defected to the ruling party, he was a committed and dedicated member of the PDP.

He said he still has great respect for his former party, the PDP, because it was the platform that gave him the ticket and supported him to win elections for senate and governor respectively.

The governor also said he joined APC to be able to deliver his vision of a superhighway and building of a deep seaport in the Bakassi area of his state.