Scores of chieftains of the Peoples Democratic Party in Imo State on Thursday defected to the All Progressives Congress.
The chieftains defected at a ceremony held at the APC Secretariat in Owerri, the state capital.
Thosewho defected included the state-party chairman, Charles Ezekwem, the state Publicity Secretary,Damian Opera, the PDP South-East Publicity Secretary, Chijioke Ekwegh, state youth leader of the party, Chibueze Ahanonu, the legal adviser, Jerry Egemba, assistant financial secretary, M.I. Okedu, and a former aide to Emeka Ihedioha, Eze Ugochukwu.
The defectors said they were defecting to help Governor Hope Uzodinma develop the state.
Announcing their defection at the ceremony, Ezekwem said that the desire to move the state forward also made them to join the ruling party.
Receiving them, the APC chairman in the state, Marcon Nlemigbo, said the party would be strengthened by the defectors.
Responding, the Imo State chapter of the PDP said the defectors took the action for self-serving interests.
The acting PDP state chairman, Martin Ejiogu, said this at a press briefing in Owerri on Thursday.
According to him, the PDP was not bothered by the exit of persons who were in politics only for what they stood to gain as individuals.
The party also urged the APC to be wary of the elements “who are manifestly gold-diggers, bedbugs and buccaneers who evidently do not have any iota of value to add to any organisation.”
“But then, with tenure expiration in February, the state officers have legally and constitutionally lost their seats. It’s therefore a daylight robbery tinged with ignorance to claim otherwise,” Ejiogu said.
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