The senator representing Akwa Ibom North East, Bassey Albert Akpan, yesterday officially informed the Senate that he had resigned his membership of the People Democratic Party (PDP) and joined the Young Progressives Party (YPP).

Akpan’s notice of resignation from PDP was contained in a letter, dated July 18, 2022, and read by Senate President Ahmad Lawan at plenary.

The defector explained that his action followed agitations among members of the party who were dissatisfied with the absence of what he called a level-playing field during the governorship primaries in the state.

Bassey’s defection to the YPP brings the number of serving senators in the party to two.

The letter reads: “I write to notify Your Excellency, the President of the Senate, the Senate leadership and the entire Senate of my resignation from the PDP with effect from July 15, 2022.

“I must admit that the PDP has offered me the opportunity to serve in several capacities in government over the years, including serving as a senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, and I remain grateful to the party to that extent.

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“However, it is now clear to me and my supporters that the centre can no longer hold in the Akwa Ibom State chapter of the PDP since the party’s hierarchy decided to adopt and favour only one preferred candidate before and during the governorship primaries.

“The determination of the state chapter of the party to support the preferred candidate could not even be halted by every attempt to call for a level-playing field and its associated controversies.

“In view of the foregoing, the agitations have led to serious rancour and some steep differences in the ranks of the party and this had presented me with a compelling reason to consult my people on our future in the PDP.

“I must state that my supporters had earlier presented me with a nomination form after paying for same to encourage me to contest the party’s primaries for nomination of the governorship candidate of the party. But unfortunately, events leading to the party’s primaries for the governorship made it impossible for me to participate in the primaries.

“Therefore, I am constrained to bow to the wish of my people who have advised that in view of the state of affairs that exists now in the party, I should resign my membership of the party.

“As a result of the foregoing, I resigned my membership of the PDP and now joined the Young Progressives Party (YPP) which now becomes my new party.”