From Paul Osuyi, Asaba
The Delta State chapter of the All Progressive Congress (APC) has described those who defected to the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) as expelled members of the main opposition party in the state.
The party, in a statement by Pius Ituru, said the defectors were not supporters of the Deputy Senate President, Ovie Omo-Agege as stated by the PDP during a mega rally to welcome the new members.
Ituru said the defection was media propaganda by those who ‘are scared of the soaring popularity of the Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege,’ insisting that the defectors had been expelled for anti-party activities and other offences.
Some former leaders of the APC, including one-time factional state chairman, Cyril Ogodo; Publicity Secretary of the state APC caretaker committee, Sylvester Imonina; Delta North Chairman Ben Onwuka; among others, were received by the PDP during the mega rally at the weekend in Asaba.
But one of the leaders in Delta North, Victor Sorokwu, whose name was also mentioned as one of the defectors on Monday, denounced his purported defection, noting that he never gave his consent for his name to be announced as joining the PDP.
Sorokwu told newsmen in Asaba that, although he was approached by the PDP with a mouth-watering offer, he rejected it based on his integrity, predicting that the PDP would implode before 2023 for his party to deal electoral dividends.
He said the action of the PDP was the sheer desperation of a party afraid of its shadow in 2023.
Flanked by the vice chairman-elect (Delta north) of APC, Adizue Eluaka and other leaders, Sorokwu who is the former senatorial secretary, re-affirmed his commitment to the APC.
While lamenting the horse-trading and blackmail among politicians, he said he was shocked when the media reported that he was one of the defectors.
‘All the leaders of my party called me to know, but l told them there is no way l can defect. A good name is better and integrity should be my watchword. Some names that were mentioned there never decamped, they were not there. I see an implosion in PDP.
‘Delta should not be a one-party state, we should allow the opposition to help in development. Come 2023, PDP will become opposition in Delta.
Governors, National Assembly members are now wiser, more mature as more Governors are joining APC. Now PDP is rejoicing by instigating crisis in Delta APC. Deltans definitely are getting tired of PDP. Reconciliation is going on and very soon there will be sanity in APC,’ he said.