By Magnus Aluma, Abakaliki
Thousands of All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Labour Party (LP), and People’s Democratic Party (PDP) members in Umuezeoka community, Ezza North Local Government Area of Ebonyi State, at the weekend, defected to the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC.
Members of opposition parties in the state have been defecting to the APC since after the supreme court judgement which affirmed the election of Governor Francis Nwifuru.
NewsBits gathered that the month of January, was a harvest of reception for the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC in Ebonyi State. Recently, the Deputy Governor of Ebonyi State, Princess Patricia Obila told stakeholders at a political rally that over three million members of various opposition parties in the state have defected to the APC.
The latest defectors included leaders of the opposition parties in Umuezeoka community and those who have served the parties in various capacities at the state level.
They were received into the APC at the weekend, by the state Chairman of the party, Chief Stanley Okoro Emegha, the state Commissioner for Information and State Orientation a native of the area, Jude Okpor, from the area and the Chairman of Ezza North Local Government Area, Chief Ogodoali Nome in a ceremony organized for them by Okpor at Umuezeoka Central School field.
Chief Emegha commended the defectors for their resolve to join the ruling party in the state. He assured them that they would be accommodated in the affairs of the party and the state. The chairman noted that the leadership of APC in Ebonyi State would continue to receive those who want to join the party for a united and prosperous state.
According to him, “I urge members of our great party, APC in Ebonyi State to allow any opposition party member who wishes to join the party. Do not restrict people from coming to APC, don’t segregate. Tell them let everybody come let us come together. The house is more than enough to carry all of us”, he emphasised.
In a remark, the Ebonyi State Commissioner for Information and State Orientation, Jude Okpor said the mass exodus of members of the opposition parties in the community was as a result of the live touching and people-oriented policies and programs of Governor Francis Nwifuru.
He noted that despite the fact that the community and Ezza North Local Government Area in did not vote for the Governor in the 2023 general election, he has been very magnanimous to the community and the local government through developmental projects sited in various parts of the local government.
His words: “the interest of the governor is to unite and develop the state, and he needs everybody in this regard. So, I want to assure you that you will be given equal attention in the scheme of things like old members.”
The commissioner dismissed the insinuation in some quarters that Governor Nwifuru was driving the state into one party state through defections of opposition members into the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC.
“There is no way the Governor will drive Ebonyi State into a one-party state. But the fact remains that peace and development is paramount to him and if bringing everybody on board is what is going to drive this peace and development into it’s logical conclusion, I don’t think His Excellency is going to think twice to get that done,” he stated.
On his part, the Executive Secretary of local government staff pension board in the state, Emeka Nwonu said the hybrids of defections into the party was as result of the performance of Governor Francis Nwifuru.
He said, “Governor Francis Nwifuru is doing and since he is doing well, there is need for everybody to come together to support him. We talk of opposition where there is no democracy and in Ebonyi, there is democracy and the dividends are practically coming.”
