As we move towards the 2015 elections the
ranks of the All Progressives Congress (APC) controlled states may have enlarged
to twenty three. In a bold political move, the governor of Imo state, Rochas
Okorocha of the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA), yesterday defected
to the yet-to-be-registered APC stating that the Party is filled with “a crop
of seasoned, patriotic politicians who want to rescue the nation from the
quagmire inflicted on it by the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.”
Read
the Vanguard Newspapers report below:
The defection during a public
rally at the Heroes Square, Owerri was witnessed by eight governors from
opposition political parties.
Okorocha indicated that as many
as 12 governors possibly from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) had given
indication to boost the ranks of the opposition governors to 23 from 11.
The move was immediately flayed
by the state chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP. According to Imo
State Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Chief Blyden Amajirionwu, this was
another indication of Governor Okorocha’s determination to hang on to power in
any shape.
National
chairman of APGA, Chief Victor Umeh shied away from commenting on the matter as
he didn’t respond to a text message sent to him on the issue.
Okorocha’s
defection was witnessed by governors from Lagos, Ogun, Oyo, Ekiti, Edo, Osun,
Nasarawa and Borno states.
Flanked
by his wife, Nkechi and the visiting governors, an elated Okorocha explained
that the merger of some political parties was being engineered by those he
called “a crop of seasoned, patriotic politicians who want to rescue the nation
from the quagmire inflicted on it by the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.”
Okorocha
gave assurance that Ndigbo have embraced APC because of what he termed their
sad experience in the hands of the PDP at the federal and state levels,
pointing out that the party has been consigned to the dustbin of history in Imo
State.
He
advised Imo people to sustain their spirit of democracy and good governance
through the rejection of the PDP and all that the party stands for in all
future electoral exercises.
“I
must commend all the governors that have chosen to come under the APC umbrella,
especially as this is a sure way of ending bad administration in this God
blessed country”, Okorocha said.
Lamenting
the fate of the country in the last 12 years under different PDP federal
administrations, Okorocha who derided the party as “people deceiving people”,
said: “this ugly trend has pauperized Nigerians through poverty of vision and
project implementation. Never again will Nigeria represent a nation in
bondage.”
While
speaking on behalf of the other governors, Babatunde Fashola of Lagos commended
Okorocha for publicly declaring for the APC saying it is a positive step to
liberate the people from a state of hopelessness.
The report continues thus;
Fashola said: “We in APC are
committed to a change for the betterment of our dear nation and our people. The
coming of APC is neither borne out of selfishness nor greed but a positive step
to liberate our people from a state of hopelessness”.
Adding an element of humour
into the event, Governor Abiola Ajimobi of Oyo State, announced that Okorocha
had been conferred with the title of “Girigi of Oyo State”.
Ajimobi said: “Those who have
accepted to join and identify with APC would enjoy everlasting divine blessing,
while those still procrastinating on when and how to do so, would have their
blessings deferred”.
He commended Governor Okorocha
for “his landmark achievements that have ultimately brought smiles on the faces
of Imo people,” stressing that Imo people should continue to support him.
Meanwhile, the state capital,
Owerri virtually stood still yesterday as schools, markets and a good number of
business centres were closed for most of the day on account of the defection.
Responding to the defection,
the PDP spokesman, Chief Amajirionwu said:
“What he did is one of those unserious
things that are always associated with him.
“In the history of Nigeria, the
South East was never known to play opposition politics. What is counted today
as APC is a Yoruba party and if you come to the political history of this
country we in the South East have always played along the national tendency,
not playing along sectional issues. I want to assure you that in Imo State not
even a ward, not to talk of a local government would go the way of APC.
“Rochas is on his own and that
is his nature which we have been saying to everybody. Rochas is not dependable,
look at the party that sponsored him, look at how he has dumped and disgraced
APGA. APGA is not even backing him on what he is doing and this is APGA that
sponsored him to where he is now. And that is a lesson for those now with him
because he would also one day dump them and move on.”
Credit: Vanguard
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