The Peoples Democratic Party, (PDP) Ebonyi State chapter, on Wednesday, welcomed over 100, 000 members of The Alliance for New Nigerian party, (ANN) even as a Development Center Coordinator and other members of the All Progressives Congress, (APC) joined the party in the State.
They openly defected during a civic reception ceremony in honor of the state PDP chairman, Mr Tochukwu Okorie, at Ugwulangwu, Ohaozara local government area of Ebonyi state.
Addressing the people, Mr Okorie, stated that the development center coordinator, Martha Nwankwo was decamped to the party along side the National Vice Chairman of Alliance for New Nigeria party Lazarus Udeze and his members.
He said, “An APC Coordinator in the Ohaozara East Development Centre, where we are today. The former coordinator of Ohaozara East Development Centre has seen tomorrow that the broom naturally used in sweeping away dirt, is no longer doing its duty. She is here today to announce her formal departure to the PDP.
“Let me also use this medium to invite Mr Lazurus Eze, the former National Vice-Chairman of Alliance for New Nigeria to announce the collapse of the entire structure of the party in the entire South-East geopolitical zone, into the PDP.
“These ones, who are hitherto in the Alliance for New Nigeria and others who were working with GUMEBA will come out here to announce their defection to the PDP. I invite party elders and leaders to join me and receive these defectors.
“Martha Okonkwo was a civil servant, who rose to the position of HPM in the local government system, but on her own voluntarily resigned just to express her political aspiration in the PDP.
“She understood that the government of David Umahi is high-handed, is vicious, vindictive and she would not allow herself to be rubbished by anybody and she understood, that if she had not voluntarily resigned, they would have come after her. Today, because of her passion for the PDP she relinquished all position and all that, just to be in the PDP”.
The former Coordinator of Ohaozara East development center and National Chairman Governor Umahi Empowerment and Beneficiaries Association, (GUMEBA) Nwankwo said, “I’m here today to tell you that we are no longer with the APC, we are now full members of the PDP.
“The people defecting with me to PDP comprises of APC members in ward 1, ward 2 and 3 in Ugwulangwu and Ebonyians in Diaspora both in Enugu, Anambra, Abia state, and all the members of my Association, even in the South-East hereby declare their defection to the PDP today.
“I’m calling on those yet to join PDP to do so because Ebonyi state is PDP and PDP is Ebonyi and Nigeria is PDP 100 percent. We will deliver Ohaozara and Ugwulangwu for PDP 100 percent. We did it before in 2019 and we will do it again in
Also, the National Vice Chairman of Alliance for New Nigeria, Lazurus Udeze, said he was joining PDP with over 100, 000 members of the party.
“I’m happy to be here and I’m here with the State Chairman of the Alliance for New Nigeria, Mr Hilary and his EXCO, including the wards and local government executives of the party in the state. We could have been more , but owing to change of venue and all that, those who were coming from Afikpo and Abakaliki had to turn back.
“But, we want to assure the PDP and the entire leadership that our members , numbering over 100,000 are here today to formally declare their intention to be part of the PDP in the state. These 100,000 members of the Alliance for New Nigeria and our supporters across the state have today, collapsed into the Peoples Democratic Party, in Ebonyi State.
“It was an easy decision for us, because PDP of today is no longer the PDP of yesterday. The people, who before now made PDP unattractive, have left the party”.