Defections Hit PDP Again As Prominent Members In Ebonyi Dump Party For APC

The structures of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), have continued to witness serious depletion since the out of its last National Executive Committee meeting in Abuja which took place in April, 2024.

While the Party was yet to overcome the shock of the defection of former governor of Imo State, Hon. Emeka Iheidioha and others, a new gale of defection has again hit the Ebonyi State chapter of the Party as some of its prominent members abandoned the Party for the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) on Saturday, May 3, 2024.

Leading the pack of the defectors is a former Senator and former member of the National Working Committee of the PDP, Senator Sylvanus Nguji Ngele and member of the House of Representatives representing Abakaliki/Izzi Federal Constituency who was also a governorship aspirant in the State during the 2023 general elections, Hon. Sylvester Ogbaga, as well as 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, Hon.Ogbaga and Senator Ngele 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.

The two prominent figures in the area specifically said that that 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.

The 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, some of the APC stakeholders that 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, former Chairman Abakaliki LGA, Hon. Emmanuel Nwangele, the Commissioner for Lands and Survey, Hon. Matthew Nwobashi among others, commended the defectors on the bold steps they took and urged them to go to their wards to obtain their membership cards.

Before Saturday event, some other highly placed members of the PDP in Abakaliki Local Government Area that included the member representing the people of Abakaliki North in the Ebonyi State House of Assembly, Hon.Victor Nwoke also defected to the APC on Monday, April 29, 2024, during the visit of the governor’s wife, Mrs. Mary-Maudlin Nwifuru.