It may take a long while for the Abia State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its All Progressives Congress (APC) counterpart to recover from massive loss recorded from the defection of their key members to the governing Labour Party.
The latest is coming from the official defection Engr Augustine Uchenna Stephen, a former aide of immediate past governor of Abia State, Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu.
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ABN TV recalls that Engr. Stephen had last week submitted his letter of resignation from PDP without announcing a new political party.
At his official defection on Thursday in his Umuogo Ubakala in Umuahia South local government area ward, Engr. Stephen attracted thousands of supporters from his former party, the APC and Young Peoples Party (YPP) to join the LP fold.
He expressed happiness to become a member of Labour Party, saying Abia has witnessed a visible change since Governor Alex Otti assumed office as the only governor elected on the platform of Labour Party in the country.
“If you look round, what the governor is doing is visible to eyes and audible to the ear. Wherever you go, projects are going on. We do not have to consistently change you car shock absorber because of bad roads.
“We don’t have to change brake pad and all that, it is a good thing to identify with progress. We said no, we can’t be rewarding good thing with evil. Governor Otti has shown us love“, he spoke in Igbo to his supporters in the presence of local government leaders of Labour Party.
He said his entrance into the party is not to displace those already in the fold but to support the good things going on with the governance of the state.
The chairman of Labour Party in Umuahia South LGA, Hon. Chukwudi Okpotoh expressed delight with the entry Engr. Stephen, noting that it is an indication that Labour Party is doing well.
He expressed the readiness of the party executive to work with Engr. Stephen so that dividends of democracy can trickle down to the grassroot.
Dignitaries at the event include;
Commissioner for budget and planning, Hon. Kingsley Anosike; The Special Adviser to Abia State Governor on Security, Cmdr MacDonald Uba; Chief Protocol officer to the governor, Hon. Paul Emmanuel; Umuahia South Mayor,
Attorney Ejike Nnochiri Obike and among others.
