By John Oghojafor
Ahead of the January 6, 2018 Councils election in the state, hundreds of PDP members in Ekakpamre Community in Ughelli South Local Government Area, have defected to the All Progressives Congress party (APC) in what they have described as “seeing the light”.
The event which took place at the country home of the chairman of APC Delta Central, Olorogun Adelabu Ejiroghene Bodjor recently, attracted several persons from different parts of the ward who were hitherto known PDP executives and members who were led by a popular PDP leader, Chief Robert Ojo.
Speaking during the occasion the leader of the decampees, Chief Ojo noted that he and his supporters took the step to defect to the APC because they have seen the light, adding that they have discovered that there is democracy in the party.
He said: “It is because we have seen the light. We have observed that there is democracy in the APC. If you could recall, when I was speaking a moment ago, on the August 3, 2017, we went to Abuja to declare there. When we saw the light we went to declare there and we were received by the National Chairman, Chief John Oyegun.
“When we came back, I called all my followers to come and declare at the ward level because APC is where we see the light and my message to the people of Ughelli South is that they should be aware that APC is where they can see the light. They are the people who can carry you along. Today, PDP is not empowering people. They said they have empowered 30 youths in Ekakpamre, but it is a lie. There is nothing like that. This is why we have joined APC so that we can see the light together.”
Just before the decampees were formally received by the ward chairman, the Delta Central chairman of the party, Olorogun Bodjor expressed great joy that the party is currently witnessing influx of politicians decamping from the PDP to the APC in droves, adding that it was a sign that the party is growing from strength to strength in the area. According to him, the people have realized that the APC is the party for the masses.
He said: “It is a sign of good things to come. A situation where you receive decampees day in day out. It goes to show that the party is growing from strength to strength. The people have realized that the APC is a party that means well for the masses of Nigeria and they are coming in droves to join us. It is a fantastic development.
On the capacity of the APC to integrate the new decampees, Olorogun Bodjor said that the party has a policy of association and assimilation, adding that once persons joins the party, he is deemed to be an old member and he is entitled to all the rights and privileges that are accruable to older members of the party.
“The APC has a policy of association and assimilation. As soon as you join the party, you become an automatic old member of APC. We don’t have old and new members. We treat everybody like we have been together before. I think that is one thing that is going well for the APC”, Bodjor said, adding that “APC is preparing to take over the governance of Delta State right from the Local Government to Government House at Asaba.”
Also speaking, the Legal Adviser to the APC in Delta Central, Barr. Aghogho Obadaseraye urged the new decampees to feel free to interact and make meaningful contributions to the growth and progress of the party, adding that they were entitled to every right and privilege which the older members enjoy. He declared that APC is the party where the light is, pointing out that no same man sees light and still follow darkness, just as he welcome the new members and thanked them for their courage.
The highpoint of the ceremony was the formal reception of the decampees by the ward chairman and the registration and issuance of party cards to the new party members.
