Former Akwa Ibom PDP Chairman, Senator Defect To APC

 

The Peoples Democratic Party has suffered a massive loss as Chief Otu Ita Otoyo, a former chairman of the PDP in Akwa Ibom state, defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Vanguard reports that the ex-chairman defected alongside a former senator, Aloysius Etok, and a former member of the House of Representatives, Eseme Eyiboh.
The decampees including the ex-chairman of Ibesikpo Asutan local government area and many others were received into the party at a prayer summit and reception held in honour of Obong Umana Umana, the APC candidate, in the last governorship election.
Speaking about their decision to join the APC, the decampees explained that the PDP was no longer the party they once believed in. They lamented that the PDP has been hijacked by a few people.
Otoyo strongly criticized the PDP for deviating from the ideals upon which the party was founded. According to him, it was that deviation that made Akwa Ibom people seek change.

“We brought change to Akwa Ibom in 2007, but that change has been hijacked by a few people for themselves. I screamed but nobody listened, today, Akwa Ibom people have decided for change and as such have moved to a new party,”  he said.

Also speaking, a two-term senator, Aloysius Etok, expressed gratitude to Umana Umana for “championing the struggle to liberate the state”. He further expressed assurance that the APC would redeem the state and reposition it to acheive unfulfilled potentials.
Eseme Eyibo, a former spokesperson of the House of Representatives, noted that he was joining the APC, to “take part in the struggle to rescue the state and its people”.
Receiving the decampees into the party, Chief Elias Eta, the South-South national vice chairman of the APC, stressed that they would defend every vote cast by the party in Akwa Ibom.
Recalling that the last governorship election was marred by violence, Eta called on the people not to be intimidated by the PDP and expresses assurance that security agents and thugs would not be allowed to disrupt the forthcoming rerun.

“The former governor, Godswill Akpabio has done a lot of things and he will be made to account for them. All those who are working against good governance will not be allowed to succeed,” he added.

In his speech, Umana Umana commended the decampees for their courage, and stressed that with their support and that of Akwa Ibom electorate, they would reclaim “their stolen mandate”.
“The God of justice and blood of innocent voters killed during the the past election will see the party to victory”.
“The victories at both the tribunal and Appeal Court are not just for me as a person. They are for the people. You have proven that no weapon or amount of money can break you. The battle is between freedom and slavery and this event has shown that the people have chosen freedom,” he said.
A few days ago, the PDP suffered another setback as a former minister of information, and governor of the old Anambra state, Chief Jim Nwobodo, defected to the ruling APC.