Stephen Ukandu, Umuahia
A chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Abia State, and the Coordinator of Atiku’s Presidential Campaign in 2023, Chief Charles Ogbonnaya, has dismissed PDP members who decamped to the All Progressives Congress, APC, as “political viruses without any electoral value.”
Ogbonnaya who was a former Deputy Chief of Staff to former Governor Okezie Ikpeazu, spoke exclusively with Ikengaonline on the heels of the defection of Ikpeazu’s former Commissioners and other appointees to the APC.
Some of the former PDP chieftains who dumped the ‘Big umbrella’ and picked the’broom’ included former Commissioner for Information, Eze Chikamnayo; Ikpeazu’s former Chief of Staff, Professor Anthony Agbazuere; former Commissioner for Trade, Godwin Nna; and former Commissioner for Environment, Chief Sam Nwogu, among others.
They declared for the APC on Monday during a meeting at Isuochi country home of the Minister for Labour, Hon. Nkeiruka Onyejeocha.
Chief Ogbonnaya who claimed that the decampees “have no electoral values at all” warned the APC to be weary of them”lest they pollute the party.”
“All the viruses I made mention of in PDP have gone over to APC. APC must be very careful because they are unreliable. They will go there to pollute APC. None of them has political value. PDP lost nothing by losing them.”
There are rumours that other bigwigs of the PDP are on their way to the ruling national party.
Attempts by some of them to join the ruling Labour Party in the state were said to have been resisted by those who felt they would be a bad image to the party.
PDP which had been in power in Abia State since 1999 was dislodged by Labour Party in 2023 when Gov. Alex Otti came to power.
PDP only managed to get a senatorial seat and one out of the eight seats at the House of Representatives plus 12 in the State House of Assembly.
