Over 1,000 APC Members Defect To PDP In Akwa Ibom

As political parties across the country continue to experience defections, Akwa Ibom State is not left out as more than 1,000 members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Oron federal constituency have joined the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) .

This happened on Wednesday, as the former governor of the state, Senator Godswill Akpabio was joining the APC in Ikot Ekpene senatorial district. Welcoming the defectors, the state PDP chairman, Obong Paul Ekpo, said the exercise was a testimony to the fact that the PDP is the party to beat in 2019 general election in the state. He added that the party is a religion to the people of the state.

He reminded some of the defectors who were in the party before joining the APC that the tenets of the party which is, matching words with action, was still intact.
He emphasised the party’s abhorrence of violence and intimidation.

Ekpo stressed that the party’s commitment to the provision of good governance as demonstrated by the governor should stimulate all well-meaning Akwa IbomAACkwa Ibom State over the years matched promises with action, as demonstrated in the developmental strides of the Udom Emmanuel administration; so I call on Oro nation to deliver one hundred percent vote to Governor Udom and the PDP in the 2019 elections.”

The party boss thanked the party leaders in the federal constituency for their loyalty and steadfastness, and the defectors for returning to their base having realised their mistakes.

Earlier, the Oron chapter chairman of PDP, Mr. Murphy Esin, assured the state chairman of the party that the federal constituency would not disappoint the PDP, noting that those that left the party before have learnt from their mistakes and would guide against repeat of such actions.

Meanwhile, the Akwa Ibom State governor, Udom Emmanuel has said that, he was not perturbed by his predecessor’s defection to the APC.

Speaking after solidarity visit by local government chairmen and officials from the 31 council areas of the state, the governor noted that every person was entitled to his fundamental human right of free association.

“The political atmosphere is helping to deepen democratic governance and reinvent the consciousness of the PDP that every member would be proud of,” he said.

He thanked the various groups for the show of solidarity and charged the council leadership to ensure that their subjects collected their PVCs.

“I therefore urge you to reach out and show love among your kith and kin and also sustain your support for PDP which is the only party that has brought development to the state since the inception of democratic governance.”