‘Don’t segregate, restrict opposition party members from defecting into APC – APC boss, Emegha tells stakeholders

Uchenna Okeh, Abakaliki

The chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, Ebonyi State chapter, Stanley Okoro Emegha at the weekend has tasked stakeholders of the party, not to segregate or restrict opposition party members from defecting into the party in the state.

Emegha made this known while receiving a thousand members of the All Progressives Grand Alliance ,APGA, Labour Party, LP, and the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, who defected into the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, in Umuezeoka community, Ezza North local government area of Ebonyi State.

The Nations News Nigeria reports that Members of the opposition parties in the state have been defecting to the APC, especially since after the supreme court judgement which affirmed the election of governor Francis Nwifuru.

The detector’s included leaders of other political parties in Umuezeoka ward in the community and those who have served the parties in different levels at the state level.

The defectors were received into the APC, by the state Chairman, Chief Stanley Okoro Emegha, the state Commissioner for Information and State Orientation, Jude Okpor who is from the area and Chairman of Ezza North local government, Chief Ogodoali Nome in a ceremony organized for them by Okpor at Umuezeoka Central School field.

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 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 as a result of the live touching and people,-oriented policies and programs of Governor Francis Nwifuru.

He noted that despite the fact that 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 needs 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 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 is paramount to him and if bringing everybody on board is what is going to drive this peace and development into it’s logical conclusion, I don’t think his Excellency is going to think twice to get that done”, he stated.

On his part, the Executive Secretary of local government staff pension board in the state, Emeka Nwonu said the hybrids of defections into the party was as result of the performance of Governor Francis Nwifuru.

“Governor Francis Nwifuru is doing and since he is doing well, there is 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.