APGA Chieftain Dumps Party for PDP in Nimo

. . . Cites Insincerity

By Ikeugonna Eleke

A chieftain of the All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, in Nimo, Njikoka Local Government Area, has dumped APGA for the People’s Democratic Party, PDP. Addressing newsmen at Egwegwe Square, Nimo during an event to mark his defection, Chief Dan Okpoko blamed APGA’s insincerity for his defection.

Okpoko, who also cited the breach of the zoning arrangement in the area by APGA, insisted that the people of the local government could no longer tolerate what he described as the insincerity of the leaders of APGA, adding that most people in Nimo had become disenchanted with the party.

‘I joined APGA in good faith seven years ago, but after some time, I started noticing a lot of deceit among the leaders of the party. The most worrisome was that we always work hard to win elections, but after the elections, all those who made it possible for the party to win were abandoned.

‘That is why I have decided to go back to my original party, the PDP, with all my supporters who constitute the majority of voters in Nimo because my aim of joining APGA has been defeated,’ he said.

He said that Nimo, Abba and Abagana communities, which make up Njikoka 11 constituency, agreed many years ago that the House of Assembly seat would be rotational among them every four years, but he regretted that the party reneged on that by distorting the zoning arrangement, meaning that the same candidate would be returning to the House of Assembly in 2019.

‘Everybody in our constituency knows that those we send to the House of Assembly stay for only one tenure to give room for another community to present a lawmaker. It is the turn of Abagana to produce the next member of the House of Assembly and I cannot because the present lawmaker is from my town, support this.

‘For this action by APGA, I will change Nimo to PDP so that this community will also get its due when it is our turn to produce the member of the House of Assembly.

‘Besides, there is nothing to show for all the support Nimo people have been giving to APGA over the years and this is therefore an opportunity to liberate our town,’ Okpoko stated.

Okpoko said he was joining PDP with over 70 of his supporters.