Not less than 5,000 members of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) in Umuahia South local government area of Abia State on Saturday, September 8. dumped the party for the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state.
The defected APGA members were led into the PDP by the former Umuahia South local government candidate of APGA in the December 2016 council election in Abia State, Chief Nkemakolam Ogenna.
Speaking with newsmen at the venue of the declaration ceremony in Old Umuahia, Umuahia South local government area, on Saturday, Mr. Ogenna explained that they left their former party due to the internal wrangling at the state chapter of APGA, which had resulted in the party being factionalized in Abia.
He disclosed that they were five thousand in numbers that decamped to the PDP in the state.
According to him, “We massively left the opposition APGA because of the internal crisis within the party”.
“The crisis has made the party at the state get divided. We have Alex Otti faction and Chikwe Udensi-led faction of APGA. It has seriously affected the chances of the party winning 2019 governorship election in Abia”.
“Things are no longer working within APGA. So, we have joined the ruling party, that’s the PDP. PDP is a bigger party. PDP is a national party,with large heart.”
“We are there to complement the efforts of the state governor, who is working tirelessly to transform Abia. We are happy that we have joined PDP”.
Welcoming the APGA decampees, the PDP chairman in Umuahia south local government area, Mr. Ngozi Okezie and the PDP Old Umuahia ward chairman, Ugochukwu Uwaechi, in their separate speeches, thanked the defectors for their courage to identify with the ruling party.
They assured the new PDP members that they will be treated equally and urged them to work for the success of the party in the upcoming 2019 general elections.
DAILY POST reports that prominent leaders and stakeholders of the PDP from Umuahia south including the Executive chairman of the Council, Chief Obioma Ogbulafor attended the event.
