More Defections Hit PDP as Prominent Members in Ebonyi Dump Party for APC

•Two ex-guber aspirants resign in Edo

Chuks Okocha in Abuja and Adibe Emenyonu in Benin City

The structures of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), have continued to witness depletion as prominent party members from Ebonyi State, have left the party for the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Also, two governorship aspirants, Hon. Felix Akhabue, and Dr. Victoria Amu, yesterday, resigned their membership of the party.

Gale of defection and resignation had since the outcome of the last National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting of the party in Abuja, in April, taken an upswing.

Thus, while the party has yet to overcome the shock of the defection of a former governor of Imo State, Hon. Emeka Iheidioha and others, some PDP members in Ebonyi, have also left.

Leading the pack, a former Senator and former member of the National Working Committee of the PDP, Senator Sylvanus Nguji Ngele, along with a member of the House of Representatives representing Abakaliki/Izzi Federal Constituency and governorship aspirant in the State during the 2023 general election, Hon. Sylvester Ogbaga, and some executive members of the party.

The defection ceremony, which took place at Abakaliki Local Government Area headquarters Nkaliki on Saturday, witnessed the two bigwigs from the PDP, declaring that the PDP has been hijacked by some powerful individuals and no longer in a position to provide the needed platform to actualise political aspirations.

They said their major reason for dumping the PDP was based on the fact that the party had not been able to produce a governor from the Izzi clan, which the APC was able to achieve in line with the existing charter of equity in Ebonyi State.

They also noted that the present administration led by Hon. Francis Nwifuru, anchored on the people’s charter of needs, was the main reason they want to join forces with the APC to bring more dividends of democracy to the people of Ebonyi State.

Receiving the defectors, the Commissioner for Lands and Survey, Hon. Matthew Nwobashi, commended the defectors on the bold steps they took and urged them to go to their wards to obtain their membership cards.

Some of the APC stakeholders present included the National Treasurer of the Party, Chief Matthew Uguru; State Chairman, Chief Stanley Okoro Emegha; the Executive Chairman of Abakaliki Local Government Area, Hon. Stephen Nwogba; the APC Local Government Chairman, Hon. Paulinus Atam; and former Chairman Abakaliki LGA, Hon. Emmanuel Nwangele.

From Edo, Akhabue, in his resignation letter addressed to the Ward Chairman, PDP Ward 7, Esan West Local Government Area and copied the Local Government Chairman, Senatorial Chairman, State Chairman and the National Working Committee of the party, said, “I write to formally notify the party through your office of my resignation as member of the Peoples Democratic Party henceforth.

“My decision to resign is born out of the glaring prejudicial activities of the party’s Leadership against my fair, reasonable and continuous participation as a member of the party.

“I wish to use this opportunity to appreciate some genuine friends in the party we have worked together in past years,” he stated.

In her resignation letter addressed to Ward 4 Chairman of the party in Owan West Local Government Area, Amu said she was quitting the party for “personal and family reasons.”

According to her, “I thank the party for finding me worthy to have been given the opportunity to serve as SSA on Social Mobilization for 7 years under Comrade Adams Oshiomhole and SSA to Governor Godwin Obaseki for one year.

“It is on record that I ran for the House of Assembly in 2022 also in the just concluded governorship race in 2024, all under APC. I crave the indulgence of all my friends, supporters and well-wishers to respect my decision at this auspicious moment to redefine the destiny of our great state.”