The opposing Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Delta State further lost more members on Saturday as over 14,000 loyalists of the former national chairman of the party, Ali Modu Sheriff joined the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC).
The Nation reports that the over 14,000 defectors were led into the APC by former deputy national chairman of the PDP, Dr. Cairo Ojougboh, an Agbor kinsman of Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of the PDP.
Those who received the new members at a ceremony today in Agbor, Ika South L.G.A include the Minister of State for Petroleum, Dr. Ibe Kachukwu who hails from the state; national vice chairman of APC (S/S), Mr. Hilliard Eta; chairman of the party in the state, Jones Erue; O’tega Emerhor and Hyacinth Enuha.
During the ceremony, the defectors, it was learnt, dumped the membership cards of the PDP into a waste basket and then lowered the huge banner of the opposing party thus signaling the rejection of the party.
Dr. Ojougboh said they were suffocated out of PDP, adding that after the Supreme Court judgment that affirmed the Ahmed Markafi national leadership, members of the Sheriff faction were sidelined.
His words, “We asked the national body to open up the party after the unfortunate court judgment; the next thing we heard was that they were going to grant us amnesty as if we are criminals. When Raymond Dokpesi was nominated as member of the committee for the non-elective convention, his nomination was rejected because they said they spent money on the court judgment”.
“As if that was not enough, during the Anambra State governorship primary election, Jerry Gana was made chairman of a three-man committee to midwife a transparent election but governors Ayo Fayese of Ekiti State and Nyesom Wike of Rivers State rejected it and came up with another committee that went to Anambra and handed everything to Peter Obi.
“Back here in Delta, we asked the state governor, Ifeanyi Okowa to remove impunity but what we continue to see here is a corrupt and family government. Till date, Okowa has not been able to account for the N20 billion Paris Club refund”.
“We now said it is time to look for people of like minds, people of progressive ideology to meet with because I know most of you have ambitions to pursue. If we do not make a decision to belong to the progressives, most of you will miss out.”
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