The Labour Party (LP) in Enugu suffered a serious political blow on Saturday, Might 17, as Hon. Sunday Umeha, a sitting member of the Home of Representatives, formally defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC), taking up 1,000 supporters with him.
Umeha, who represents the Udi/Ezeagu federal constituency, made a shock look at a mini-rally in Ibagwa-Aka, Igboeze South Native Authorities Space, the place the mass defection unfolded.
The rally was led by Chief Joshua Ogbonna, a rich businessman and distinguished Labour Party financier within the space, popularly referred to as “Father Father.”
Ogbonna introduced the collapse of Labour Party’s construction within the native authorities, declaring that he and over 1,000 members, together with the whole native authorities social gathering management, had crossed over to the APC.
Umeha defined his presence on the occasion, which was exterior his federal constituency, saying it was in solidarity with Ogbonna.
He disclosed that one other official rally would quickly be held in his residence constituency in Ezeagu to formally usher him into the APC.
“I’ve resigned from the Labour Party and registered with the APC in my ward,” Umeha mentioned. “This resolution was pushed by deep divisions within the Labour Party at each the nationwide and state ranges.
“I consider becoming a member of the APC, which is on the centre, will deliver our folks nearer to energy and alternatives.”
He argued that APC’s efficiency in Igbo land has surpassed that of the PDP, citing initiatives just like the Enugu-Onitsha and Enugu-Port Harcourt expressways, in addition to the Second Niger Bridge.
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Welcoming the defectors, Enugu APC Chairman, Chief Ugochukwu Agballah, hailed the mass exodus as unprecedented because the 2023 elections. He declared that the APC was poised to finish the PDP’s 26-year grip on Enugu come 2027.
“It is a whole collapse of LP in Igboeze South,” Agballah mentioned. “They’ve handed over the whole construction to the APC.
“I hereby current to you our social gathering’s image, the broom. With this, we’ll sweep out unhealthy governance and restore true democracy to Enugu State.”
He accused the PDP of inflicting hardship on the folks by excessive taxation, land grabbing, and demolition of livelihoods to construct motor parks, which he mentioned ought to be the accountability of native councils.
Peter Okonkwo, an APC chieftain from Nsukka, was additionally counseled for donating the Enugu North senatorial zonal workplace to the social gathering and serving to facilitate the defection.
Chief Ogbonna, talking on behalf of different defectors, recounted makes an attempt to frustrate their motion, together with the seizure of buses meant to move supporters.
“We ended up hiring business bikes. That’s how decided we have been,” he mentioned. “Over 1,000 of us defected at the moment. Any more, it’s ward-to-ward mobilisation. Igboeze South gained’t be left behind.”
George Ogara, representing the APC’s state chief and Minister of Innovation, Science and Expertise, Chief Uche Nnaji, described the occasion as a political turning level.
“This stage of mass defection hasn’t occurred wherever within the state,” he mentioned. “We should keep united as a result of, ultimately, all of us profit from the victory we construct at the moment.”
