No fewer than 1,500 members of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, on Wednesday defected to the All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, in Anambra ahead of the Nov. 16 governorship election in the state.
Chief Arthur Nwandu, who earlier declared governorship interest under the PDP for the 2013 poll, led his supporters to join the party at Enugwu-Ukwu in Njikoka Local Council Area of the state.
He said that they decided to leave PDP because of the lingering crisis at both the state and national levels.
“PDP for quite some time has been having a lot of inherent problems which did not start as a result of this election. This has also extended to the national leadership of the party which nobody knows when it would be settled”, he said.
Nwandu, who said that PDP lacked internal democracy, described APGA as a party that is well organized, formidable and a party to beat in any election.
He pledged their support and loyalty to the governorship candidate, Chief Willie Obiano and promised to work for victory in the election.
Nwandu commended APGA for doing Enugwu-Ukwu town the favour of choosing Dr Nkemakonam Okeke as the running mate to Obiano, from the area, saying he is reliable and trusted by the people.
He described the national chairman of APGA, Chief Victor Umeh as a charismatic, eloquent, and wise man who had fought and won many political battles for the party.
Receiving the members, Umeh commended Nwandu and his supporters for taking the bold step to rediscover their roots by joining the party.
He urged Nwandu to work with the youths to ensure victory for the party at the election, describing APGA as the only party for Igbos to realize the democracy dividends at the centre.
He said that the combination of Obiano and Okeke was a force to reckon with in view of their pedigree.
“With the collective efforts of Nwandu and Okeke, from Enugwu-Ukwu, APGA is sure of winning in Dunukofia, Njikoka and Anaocha local council areas of the state”, he said.
In his remarks, Okeke said that the event portended that people of the area were beginning to see the value of APGA as apolitical party.
He promised that those who defected would become major stakeholders of the party in the town and the entire state.
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