PDP Anambra celebrates defection of Chris Uba’s loyalists to APC
Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Anambra State says it fully welcomes the recent defection of supporters of Chief Chris Uba from its fold to the All progressives Congress (APC), describing the development as ‘divine liberation for the party.’
It would be recalled that Chris Uba’s loyalists under the Sir Chukwudi Umeaba-led former Caretaker Committee of the PDP in the state, had, on Friday, October 22, shortly after the Supreme Court affirmed Mr. Valentine Ozigbo as candidate of the PDP in the November 6 governorship election, defected to the APC where Senator Andy Uba is candidate in the election.
Chris Uba is the immediate elder brother of Andy Uba. He allegedly sponsored a parallel PDP primary for the governorship poll using the Umeaba structure with his eldest brother, Senator Ugochukwu Uba, emerging as PDP gubernatorial candidate.
Commenting on the defection, Chairman of the PDP in Anambra State, Sir Ndubuisi Nwobu, described the defection as a divine liberation of the PDP from the forces that had made it impossible to regain the state’s governorship for the past 18 years.
But the Supreme Court affirmed Valentine Ozigbo as the authentic candidate of the PDP, not Senator Ugochukwu Uba on the basis that the primary that produced him was the one approved by the national leadership of the PDP.
On the reported defection of the Sam Anyakora-led 21 PDP local government chairmen in Anambra state to the APC and their reception by the APC leadership in the state, Nwobu said that development marked the exit of ” forces that have been responsible for leadership crisis, and, nemesis of the PDP efforts towards regaining the Government House, Awka since 18 years ago”.
He stated that the defection of the Chris Uba loyalists has totally liberated PDP from any influence of the Ubas, and, purged the party of the “inglorious kidnapping of a sitting governor (Senator Chris Ngige) and burning down of all public institutions in the state”, including the Government House, Governor’s Lodge, state Independent Electoral Commission, ANSIC, state headquarters, State’s Judiciary and Legislative complex, and, state’s hotel, Ikenga Hotel, among others in 2004.
He described the claim that those who defected to APC were 21 LGA chairmen of PDP in Anambra State, as untrue, arguing that they were not known in PDP constitution or any legal instrument in the country.
