From Okey Sampson, Umuahia
The leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Abia State, has denied ever approaching Governor Okezie Ikpeazu to join the party.
Ikpeazu said he had no plans of dumping the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
“Nobody has been able to convince me that there is a better party for us in Abia than the PDP. Not until that happens, I am a strong member of the PDP,” he had said when he appeared on a radio programme.
Reacting to the governor’s statement, state chairman of APC, Donatus Nwankpa said nobody had approached the governor to join APC. He said the issue of Ikpeazu joining or not joining APC is immaterial to the party, adding that he had not received any report from the ward chairman, LGA chairman or the zonal chairman of the party in Abia South that they were making moves to have the governor in the party.
“I have not made any move to have Ikpeazu in the party as well. Every politics starts from the ward. Every politics is local.The ward, local government and zonal chairmen from where the governor comes from, nor myself (Nwankpa) made any move or advance to have the governor in our party. People should not build on rumour;none of us has made any move for the governor to join our party.”
On the statement by the governor that APC was a stationary vehicle, Nwankpa said: “I will not want to join issues with the governor. I will not want to be seen as being vindictive or reacting negatively because the governor said that he isn’t joining the party.”
Nwankpa said it was only time that would tell what would happen to the APC in the state.