Thousands of All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Labour Party (LP) and People's Democratic Party (PDP) members in the Umuezeoka community, Ezza North local government area of Ebonyi State, at the weekend, defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Members of opposition parties in the state have been defecting to the APC since after the supreme court judgement which affirmed the election of governor Francis Nwifuru.
Last weekend's defectors included leaders of the parties in the Umuezeoka ward and those who have served the parties at different levels at the state level.
They were received into the APC on Saturday by the state Chairman of the party, Chief Stanley Okoro Emegha, the state Commissioner for Information and State Orientation, Jude Okpor who is from the area and the Chairman of Ezza North local government, Chief Ogodoali Nome in a ceremony organized for them by Okpor at Umuezeoka Central School field.
Receiving them, the state party Chairman, Emegha commended them and assured them that they would be accommodated in the affairs of the party and the state.
He noted that the party would continue to receive those who want to join the APC for a united and prosperous state.
Emegha urged APC members to allow any opposition party member who wishes to join the party.
'Do not restrict people from coming to APC, don't segregate. Tell them to let everybody come, let us come together. The house is more than enough to carry all of us", he stated.
The state Commissioner for Information and State Orientation, Jude Okpor said the mass exodus of members of the opposition parties in the community was a result of the touching and people-oriented policies and programs of Governor Francis Nwifuru.
He noted that even though the community and Ezza North local government area, in general, did not vote for the Governor in the 2023 general election, he has been very magnanimous to the community and the local government through myriads of developmental projects in various parts of the local government.
He opined that the interest of the Governor was to unite and develop the state and that he needed everybody in this regard.
He assured the defectors of equal attention in the scheme of things like old members.
Okpor dismissed the insinuation in some quarters that Governor Nwifuru was driving the state into a one-party state through defections of opposition members into the APC.
"There is no way the Governor will drive Ebonyi State into a one-party state. But the fact remains that peace and development is what are paramount to him and if bringing everybody on board is what is going to drive this peace and development to its logical conclusion, I don't think His Excellency is going to think twice about getting that done", he stated.
On his part, the Executive Secretary of the local government staff pension board in the state, Emeka Nwonu said the hybrid of defections in the party was a result of the performance of Governor Francis Nwifuru.
"Governor Francis Nwifuru is doing well and since he is doing well, there is a need for everybody to come together to support him.
"We talk of opposition where there is no democracy and in Ebonyi, there is democracy and the dividends are practically coming.
"People are happy and that is why everybody wants to identify with APC, everybody wants to be supportive", he stated.
Some of the bigwigs who joined the progressive fold in the area include two former Coordinators of Ezza-west Development Center, Hon. Elessius Ogbansiegbe Nweke and Hon Sunday Otubo, former chairman of Ebonyi State Secondary Education Board, Dr. Bethran Okulegu, Chief Simeon Elom amongst others.
