Ike Nnachi, Abakaliki
Mixed reactions on Monday have trailed the resignation of Senator Obinna Ogba, Rep Livinus Makwe and other bigwigs of the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) and Labour Party (LP).
While the All Progressives Congress (APC) said it will welcome them into the party, the PDP said their resignation will not weaken the party.
Senator Obinna Ogba a two-term former senator and Makwe, and factional deputy governorship candidate of Labour Party, Ajah Nwabueze, and other chieftains of the party had announced their resignation at the weekend.
Also some state working committee members of the PDP and six local government chairmen of the party in the state also left the party.
The PDP bigwigs resigned from the party on Sunday saying that their resignations were personal.
Though the party stalwarts didn’t announce the party they will join, it was however reliably gathered that they have perfected plans to join the ruling APC.
State Chairman of APC, Stanley Emegha, said the party will receive the former PDP and LP leaders with open arms if they decide to join the party.
“The obvious fact is that after politicking, comes governance. We have concluded in the party, politicking; trying to drag which party will win greater positions and other positions. Finally, it’s APC because it is purely the people’s mandate.
“We need them because what the Governor is doing now is governance. In his appointments, you can see that it went across board. He gave opposition parties some slots of appointments. The important thing is we want to develop the state. If it is well with the state, it is well for everybody.
“We are no longer doing segregation. If they resign from their political groups and say they want to join APC, we will welcome them with all arms open.
“The masses want APC and what they are seeing now is exactly what the governor promised during his campaign tour and he has started implementing them. So, what are we struggling for?
But PDP in Ebonyi said that the recent resignation of the stakeholders would not jolt the party into crisis.
Some stakeholders who reacted including Boniface Igwe and Emmanuel Uka, noted that the party chairmen exercised the rights granted them by the country’s Constitution which provided for freedom of association.
Igwe, a strong disciple of Dr IfeanyiChukwuma Odii, the PDP governorship candidate in the March 18 election, maintained that the party was not losing any sleep following the resignation of the chairmen.
According to him, the affected chairmen were known to have allegedly worked against the party’s interest during the 2023 election hence their resignations did not come as a surprise to the party.
“Well, I don’t think that the news is a surprise because the concerned chairmen were known not to have worked for our party during the last general election and as such we are not losing any sleep over this so-called resignation.
“They only confirmed what we already knew by formally tendering their resignations as party chairmen in their respective LGAs, and the party has moved on.
“We are committed in the pursuit to recover through the courts our stolen mandate freely given to the party by the Ebonyi electorate who came out in large numbers to vote AnyiChuks as their governor.
“So, this issue of resignation and planned defection to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) is a mere distraction and as a party, we will not fall for it; we are focused on reclaiming our mandate and it’s a commitment we owe our people,” Igwe said.
Speaking, Uka, Campaign Director of AnyiChuks Campaign Council in Ivo LGA, explained that the resignations of the six PDP LGA chairmen would not in any way affect the fortunes of the party in the state.
He particularly noted that the resignation of Mr Michael Chukwu, PDP chairman in Ivo and Reps Livinus Makwe, who represented Ohaozara/Onicha/Ivo Federal Constituency would not affect the party in the area and Ebonyi in general.
He said: “Concerning the resignation and defection of Mr Livinus Makwe from our party, it will not affect the party in Ivo and in Ebonyi, the reason is that their spirit is not in PDP only their flesh.
“So, they have succeeded by moving their flesh to where their spirits are and it doesn’t affect the progress of PDP nor will it affect the chances of the party in winning a free and fair election in the state.
“It doesn’t affect us in any way from doing what we wish as a party to do. So, we wish them well wherever they find themselves, all we know is that PDP is a movement no one can stop.”
Uka further charged members of the party in Ivo and Ebonyi in general to remain steadfast and supportive of the party assuring that PDP would emerge victorious in the disputed governorship election pending in the Appeal Court.
Meanwhile, Chief Augustine Mwazunku, PDP State chairman has described the resignation of the six LGA party chairmen as a non-issue explaining that the affected persons were not active and loyal party men.
