Ben Ezechime, Enugu
The All Progressives Congress (APC) on Saturday received no fewer than 150 members of the Labour Party (LP) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who officially defected to the party in Enugu.
Among the decampees was former Commissioner for Local Government Affairs in Enugu State, Barr Peter Okonkwo, who joined from PDP.
Okonkwo, alongside other decampees across the 17 Local Government Areas of the State were received during the expanded APC stakeholders meeting in Enugu.
Speaking at the event, the State chairman, of APC Hon. Ugochukwu Agballah, declared that APC would block any move by Governor Peter Mbah, to join the party.
Agballah insisted that APC would win the 2027 governorship election and other positions in Enugu State.
Meanwhile, reading a communique at the end of the meeting, the APC state chairman, Agballah, said the party would no longer tolerate indiscipline, warning that anyone caught indulging in anti-party would be suspended.
He attributed the failure of APC to win political positions in Enugu State to activities of those he described as paid moles, adding that efforts are in top gear to weed out the moles.
He hinted that APC was fully committed to take over the Lion Building (Enugu’s Government House) in 2027. Agballah also disclosed that the party has a competent and capable candidate to take over from Governor Peter Mbah, who he noted has misgoverned the state.
“The meeting welcomes new members who joined our party and assured them of equal treatment with other members.
“The leaders note with excitement that our party has witnessed significant growth with influx of new members in the last one year.
“The number of new decampees that we received today is evidence of such influx across the local government areas and wards,” he said.
Agballah decried rising kidnapping and killing in Isi-uzo and Uzo-Uwani Local Government Areas in the state in recent time, especially along the Ugwogo-Nike-Opi-Nsukka road.
“The leaders condemned the apparent inaction of the state government and its strenuous efforts to suppress the news of the killings.
“The party declared that the Peter Mbah-led government has failed in its primary duty of protecting lives and property of citizens of Enugu State.
“They wondered why the state prefers to engage in deceit of showcasing what they call Command and Control Center that could not resolve security breaches beyond 10 kilometers radius from the capital city.
“The huge population of the citizens in the rural areas are left at the mercy of killer herdsmen and other criminals.
“The stakeholders endorsed the suspension of Senator Chukwuka Utazi and mandated the State Executive Committee to ratify the suspension in her next meeting and forward same to the Zonal leadership of the party,” Agballah said.
One of the decampees, Mr. Peter Okonkwo, promised to collapse the PDP structures in Nsukka zone in the forthcoming election, adding that he would make APC popular in the zone.
According to him, he would work closely with other decampees from Labour Party to ensure that PDP is decimated in the 2027 elections in the area.
