The speaker of the Imo state House of Assembly, Collins Chiji, has debunked the allegation by the Peoples Democratic Party that the lawmakers at the state House of Assembly who defected to the All Progressives Congress from the PDP, Action Alliance and All Progressives Grand Alliance were allegedly given N50m and a plot of land each.
The speaker who spoke to journalists in Owerri said that no lawmaker was financially induced or given a plot of land as the PDP in the state alleges.
Chiji said that the lawmakers defected to the APC because of the state governor, senator Hope Uzodinma.
The speaker said that the defected lawmakers believed that being in the same political party with the state governor would encourage good working relationship between the legislature and the executive and fast track development in the state.
Describing the governor as a good man, Chiji said that the governor’s personality attracted him and his colleagues to the ruling party.
He said “there is no iota of truth in the speculation that we were financially induced to join APC. The personality of the governor informed our decision. The governor is a good man.Our love for our state made us to join APC”
The speaker said that the defected lawmakers consulted their constituencies before joining the ruling party.
He said that the call by PDP for the defected lawmakers to vacate their seats was uncalled for, adding that the defected lawmakers did not violet any section of the electoral act.
PUNCH
