Top aide of ex-governor Emeka Ihedioha of Imo State, Chris Okewulonu, alongside Ihedioha’s former deputy governorship candidate, Chuma Nnaji, have defected to the All Progressives Congress.
Chris Okewulonu, who was Ihedioha’s chief of staff, and Chuma Nnaji, alongside their supporters, defected on Friday.
At the APC secretariat in Owerri, the state capital, Okewulonu addressed party members.
“He said, “As you may remember, I submitted my resignations a few months ago from the Peoples Democratic Party, as well as from its Board of Trustees,” Okewulonu said.
“After careful consideration and extensive discussions with my family, political associates, and well-wishers, I made the choice to leave that party.”
He added that the decision was equally rooted in his conviction that the qualities that formed the essence of the PDP as a political party, and which ab initio informed his attraction to it, had been continuously eroded, totally degraded, and finally and irretrievably lost.
Okewulonu explained that his break from political activity allowed him to observe Imo’s political landscape critically.
“In the light of the protracted disagreements and schisms in both of the parties that should, and were actually looked upon to constitute the frontline opposition parties in Nigeria, I found myself questioning whether, as a veritable statesman in the polity of Imo State and even Nigeria at large, I could afford to continue paying lip service to being a member of an ineffective, nearly non-existent opposition, whereas I could position myself to actively contribute towards improving the lives of my people,” he added.
He acknowledged Governor Hope Uzodimma’s leadership and his achievements.
“Five years down the road, I have come to the inescapable conviction that the 3R administration of Senator Hope Uzodimma has meant well for the people of Imo State and has been doing its utmost to effectively and efficiently deliver the dividends of good governance to them.
“The humongous roads and other infrastructural interventions, and the human capacity building initiatives undertaken by the Senator Hope Uzodimma administration are eloquent testimonials to my belief and assertion,” Okewulonu said.
While welcoming the defectors, Uzodimma emphasized the importance of their choice.
Because of the bad trip in the past, the APC was perceived as a foreign party. We fell prey to mistaken identity. “The APC is the only party that has good intentions for the people of Imo today,” Uzodimma stated.
He said the defection was evidence of the APC’s increasing power in the state.
“Genuine members of the political class who want Imo to move forward are joining the winning party. The real state owners are coming back to the party. If we don’t solve the problem of our people, history will not forgive us,” the governor added.
Uzodimma compared the move to hiring top athletes and commended Okewulonu and Nnaji’s choice to join the APC.
“Conscience is an open wound that only truth can heal. I thank Okewulonu and Chuma Nnaji for joining our party. We have the Ronaldos and Lionel Messis in our party now,” he remarked.
