Cross River State Governor, Senator Bassey Edet Otu, on Sunday hosted Dr. Emana Duke Ambrose-Amawhe at the Government House in Calabar, following her recent announcement of departure from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Dr. Ambrose-Amawhe, who was the deputy governorship candidate of the PDP in the 2023 general elections, met with Governor Otu, his wife, Her Excellency Bishop Eyoanwan Bassey Otu, the state chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Barrister Alphonsus Ogar Eba, and the Governor’s Chief of Staff.

Her visit comes days after she announced via her X (formerly Twitter) handle that she had joined the APC. The meeting, she said, was to formally notify the Governor and his wife of her political realignment.

“I only went to greet His Excellency, the Governor, and Her Excellency, the First Lady, as a mark of respect and to formally inform them of my movement,” Ambrose-Amawhe said in a phone interview. “The day of my formal and ceremonial movement to my new party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), along with thousands of my supporters and other big names, will be made known soon.”

Her resignation from the PDP was officially conveyed in a letter dated March 28, 2025, and addressed to the chairman of Edem Odo Ward in Akpabuyo Local Government Area. The letter indicated her exit was with immediate effect.

“This decision was not made lightly,” she wrote in the letter. “However, I remain committed to serving my community and contributing to the progress of Cross River State and Nigeria in other capacities.”

Dr. Ambrose-Amawhe was the running mate to Senator Sandy Onor in the 2023 Cross River State governorship election. Prior to that, she had also contested for the House of Representatives ticket for Bakassi/Akpabuyo/Calabar South Federal Constituency under the PDP platform.

Her visit and upcoming formal defection mark a significant shift in the state’s political landscape, with the APC leadership in Cross River indicating readiness to receive her and her supporters into the party.