Former National Organising Secretary of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Chief Emeka Atuma, has formally defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC), along with his supporters.<\/p>\n
News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Atuma, represented Ikwuano\/Umuahia Federal Constituency (2003-2007) on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party, before moving to the SDP ahead of the 2019 general elections.<\/p>\n
He announced his defection to APC at a ceremony in his country home in Ntalakwu Oboro, Ikwuano Local Government Area of Abia.<\/p>\n
According to him, he joined APC to be part of the struggle to transform the state.<\/p>\n
He said: \u201cI am elated to join men and women of like minds, who are desirous to see Abia on the wings of development because our state is backward.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is not by mistake that we are here today. We are here to form a force that will bring positive change in Abia,\u201d adding that he realised that the change could only come through APC.<\/p>\n
Atuma paid tribute to leaders of the party in the state, especially Sen. Chris Adighije, Chief Chima Ugboajah, former Chairman of Ikwuano, and Chief Donatus Nwankpa, the state Chairman of APC, saying that they were instrumental to his joining the party.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf they desired that I be part of the force to achieve the desired change in Abia, I have no choice than to concede to the pressure,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
He said that he was further persuaded to join APC because of the anti-corruption stance of President Muhammadu Buhari and visible infrastructure development across the country.<\/p>\n
In a speech, Ugboajah described Atuma\u2019s defection to APC as a great feat for the local government area and Abia.<\/p>\n
He said, \u201cToday is a great day for Ikwuano, Abia and entire Nigeria. It is not easy for great men to leave their comfort zone to join APC.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ugboajah, who was the Director-General of Uche Ogah Governorship Campaign Organisation in 2019, regretted the party\u2019s loss at the poll but assured the people that \u201cin 2023, we shall recover what we lost.\u201d<\/p>\n
He said that the massive infrastructure deficit and underdevelopment of the state under the PDP administration called for all prominent Abia citizens to join the struggle to deliver the state from PDP.<\/p>\n
\u201cAbia is the worst state in Nigeria today. If you travel to Ebonyi (which was created five years after Abia) you will weep because of the huge infrastructure decay and insecurity in Abia.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat is happening in Abia is not tolerable to us and it is unacceptable to us.<\/p>\n
\u201cEminent sons and daughters of Abia at home and in diaspora have said that they are no longer comfortable with the situation and have resolved to come together to rebuild the state.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is embarrassing, PDP has failed woefully in Abia and I can assure you that in 2023, no matter what they do, we will recover the state.\u201d<\/p>\n
Also, the state party chairman said that the ceremony marks the launch of \u201cOperation deliver Abia<\/p>\n
\u201cAbia must be free in our time and a member of the comity of developed states in the federation.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe know that with somebody as Atuma in APC, we are going to liberate Abia,\u201d Nwankpa said.<\/p>\n
The event was attended by members of the APC state working committee, local government chairmen and a former state Chairman of SDP, Chief Chidi Nwosu, who returned to APC, shortly after the 2019 polls.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Former National Organising Secretary of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Chief Emeka Atuma, has formally defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC), along with his supporters. News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Atuma, represented Ikwuano\/Umuahia Federal Constituency (2003-2007) on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party, before moving to the SDP ahead of the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":62,"featured_media":16716,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[24,16],"tags":[132,34,97],"class_list":["post-20869","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-news","category-parties","tag-abia-state","tag-apc","tag-buhari"],"yoast_head":"\n