About 111 members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) from Oredo Local Government Area (LGA) of Edo on Saturday defected to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the APC defectors, from Ward 1 of the LGA, were led by Sidney Egede, an APC chieftain in the locality.
The defectors were received into PDP by Oluwole Uzzi, the state Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice.
Uzzi commended them for the bold decision made by leaving APC to join the ruling party just ahead of the Sept. 21 governorship election.
According to him, the defection will further boost the chances of the PDP candidate, Asue Ighodalo, to win the governorship race.
The commissioner described Ighodalo and his running mate, Osarodion Ogie, as the most qualified and competent candidates to succeed Gov. Godwin Obaseki.
Uzzi urged the people of the ward to reciprocate Obaseki’s magnanimity of appointing two persons from the ward into his cabinet.
“Those tagging Gov. Obaseki as ignorant and bereft of ideas are the ones bereft of ideas. We grew together in this ward.
“While Gov. Obaseki grew up in the College area, I grew up in the Jemide area. Those who call the governor a Lagos boy do not know what they are saying,” he said.
On his part, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Media Projects, Crusoe Osagie, who also hailed from the ward, said the political dominance of APC in the ward had been defeated.
Osagie said Egede’s defection, as a chieftain of APC, with those of his supporters to PDP, was a major boost to PDP in the locality.
“In every election, one of those who give our party, PDP a sleepless night and disturb our chances of winning the ward, is Pastor Sidney Egede.
“But today, we are very happy to have him and his foot soldiers in the fold of PDP. With him, the forthcoming election will be an easy one for us.
“I want to appeal to those who are still undecided or on the fence to join the party because PDP is a party that has the welfare of Edo citizens at heart.
“With Barrister Asue Ighodalo and Barrister Osarodion Ogie as the governor and deputy governor, and successors to Gov. Obaseki, the state is again poised for more development,” said Osagie.
Speaking on behalf of the defectors, Egede, said they decided to join the PDP because competent and popular candidates in the APC were not given the governorship ticket.
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“We are also worried by the person who won the APC ticket where we have qualified and more competent aspirants like Osagie Ize-Iyamu, and the former state Chairman of APC, David Imuse.
“Also is Ernest Afolabi Umakhihe, the former Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security,” he said.
He assured that more members in the ward from the opposition would defect to PDP before the election. (NAN)
