The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Enugu State lost has three of its top leaders in the State to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
The members who defected are Senator Jim Nwobodo the first executive Governor of old Anambra State, Senator Fidelis Okoro a senator between 1999 and 2007 and Richard Ozobu.
Their defection took place at a State APC stakeholders meeting convened by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Jeffrey Onyeama on Friday.
Pundits are worried that the action of Nwobodo may not be unconnected to his being named recently by embattled former National Security Adviser (NSA) Col. Sambo Dasuki (rtd) among those who benefited from the multi-billion naira Armsgate fraud, currently being investigated by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
In his response, Nwobodo denied any wrongdoing saying that the N500 million released to him by the NSA was meant for PDP leaders in the South-East to mobilize support for the re-election of Goodluck Jonathan as President in the 2015 election.
Members and stakeholders of APC at the meeting were shocked when Chief Jim Nwobodo, Senator Fidelis Okolo, stormed the meeting.
The visibly angry stakeholders said: “These are Dasukigate fugitives and food is ready politicians. Are they not those who collected money from Dasuki and allocated 14,175 votes to Buhari as against over 500,000 votes they allocated to former president, Dr Goodluck Jonathan?
“Is their no shame in the country again? They are shameless and the unfortunate thing is that they cannot win their wards. They will infect and contaminate the APC” the visibly angry stakeholders said.
Dr Ben Nwoye, the state chairman of APC, tried effortlessly to calm frayed nerves of visibly angry members but failed woefully.
Nwobodo in his declaration speech urged members of the APC in Enugu State not to be deterred by the electoral losses they have suffered in the State in the past.
“You must always lose. What matters is the ability to rise again. I must condemn our former party, PDP. I know we had problems. I told our former chairman, how come did we allow five Governors to leave the party?
“I am not looking for a job. I am talking because I want peace. I want our people to be part of the Federal Government at the centre. I had a problem being an opposition Governor. I am not coming into APC because I want anything. I want our people to reintegrate and have our own share of the Federal Government resources” Nwobodo said.
-Emmanuel Ikechukwu
