AGNES NWORIE, ABAKALIKI
FACTIONAL Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party in Ebonyi State, Onyekachi Nwebonyi, and the State Executive Committee, on Saturday, dumped the party for the All Progressives Congress.
The Chairmen of the 13 Local Government Areas, including the Chairmen of 171 Wards of the party, also decamped with Nwebonyi.
The defection took place at the Pa Oruta Township Stadium, Abakaliki.
Nwebonyi cited marginalisation of the South-East zone, violation of the ruling of the Federal High Court sitting in Abakaliki, which recognised the elected State executives, and their inability to work with the present leadership of the Party at the zone as some of the reasons behind the defection.
He said this in a Communique titled, “Resignation of State, Local Government and Ward Executives of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Following Dissatisfaction with the National and South East Zonal Leadership of the PDP”.
The former PDP chairman said, “It is worthy of note that the National and Zonal leadership of the party had intentionally excluded Ebonyi State Chapter from the Zonal Executive Committee (ZEC) that organised the recent zonal congress of the party. This is in total disregard to the ruling of the Federal High Court sitting in Abakaliki which recognised the elected executives of the party in Ebonyi State.
“The national leadership of the party also blatantly rebuffed all efforts made by the leadership of the state chapter of the party for due process to be followed.
“In the light of the foregoing, we wish to express our total rejection of the anti-democratic practices in the party and therefore resign our positions as well as our membership of the party. We have made genuine efforts to get things done the right way but some leaders of the party are bent on using antics and gimmicks to achieve their inordinate ambitions.”
He added, “We therefore have no other option than to part ways with a party which is already stuck on the shenanigans of few overlords.
“However, we do appreciate the wonderful relationships we have had over the years but do advise the party to change its ways and embrace more democratic tenets in the conduct of party affairs. We urge South East members of PDP not to allow the zone to be deceived and disgraced.”
In his remarks, the State Acting Chairman of APC, Stanley Emegha, who welcomed the decampees, called on citizens and members of the Party to come out en masse and be part of the ongoing registration exercise of the Party.
According to him, there is no longer room for the PDP to strive in Ebonyi State.
Reacting to the development, the State Publicity Secretary of the Party, Silas Joseph Onu, said Nwebonyi’s move to the APC “is a further confirmation that the judgment they obtained was a temporal relief that will most certainly be thrown out on Appeal, which we are still pressing on, for the record.”
“We call on all party faithfuls to remain resolute and focused on the responsibility that is ahead of us – to reinvigorate ourselves for a successful and total take over of government come 2023,” he noted.
