Former Chairman of the People’s Democratic Party in Akwa
Ibom State, Chief Otu Ita Otoyo has defected to the All Progressives Congress.
He defected alongside a former senator, Aloysius Etok and former member of the
House of Representatives, Eseme Eyiboh.
These decampees including former chairman of Ibesikpo Asutan
Local Government Area and many others were received into the party at a prayer
summit and reception held in honour of Obong Umana Umana, candidate of the APC
in the last governorship election.
The reception followed his victory at the Appeal Court.
The decampees noted that the PDP was no longer the party
they once believed in. They lamented that it has been hijacked by a few people.
Crowd at the reception.
Crowd at the reception.
Toyo berated the PDP for deviating from the ideals upon
which the party was founded. He said it was that deviation that caused Akwa
Ibom people to seek change.
He called on people of the state to embrace the change which
APC represents.
“We brought change to Akwa Ibom in 2007, but that change has
been hijacked by a few people for themselves. I screamed but nobody listened,
today, Akwa Ibom people have decided for change and as such have moved to a new party”, he said.
Two term senator, Aloysius Etok, on his part, thanked Umana
Umana for “championing the struggle to liberate the state”, assuring that the
APC administration will redeem the state and reposition it to acheive
unfulfilled potentials.
Also speaking, Eseme Eyibo, who was former spokesperson of
the House of Representatives, said he was joining the APC, to “take part in the
struggle to rescue the state and its people”. He maintained that things cannot
be allowed to continue as they are.
Receiving the decampees into the party, South-South National
Vice Chairman of the APC, Chief Elias Eta,
said this time around, they would defend every vote cast by the party in
Akwa Ibom.
He lamented the violence that marred the last election and
urged the people not to be intimidated by the PDP, assuring that security
agents and thugs will not be allowed to
disrupt the forthcoming rerun.
“The former governor, Godswill Akpabio has done a lot of
things and he will be made to account for them. All those who are working
against good governance will not be allowed to succeed”, he said.
Finally, the APC
candidate, Obong Umana Umana hailed the decampees for their courage, saying
with their support and that of Akwa Ibom electorate, they will reclaim “their
stolen mandate”.
He thanked the people for standing against what he called
tyranny and injustice, stating that, “the God of justice and blood of innocent
voters killed during the the past election will see the party to victory”.
“The victories at both the tribunal and Appeal Court are not
just for me as a person. They are for the people. You have proven that no
weapon or amount of money can break you. The battle is between freedom and
slavery and this event has shown that the people have chosen freedom”, he
added.
He urged the people to further show their support by turning
up en mass to cast their votes during the forthcoming elections.
The APC Candidate hailed President Muhammad Buhari for his
anti-corruption stance, urging him to carry on. He assured the president of the
support of Akwa Ibomites.
Earlier, Publicity Secretary of the party in the state,
Chief Ita Awak, said the turn out at the event is an indication that money is
not the ultimate.
“Today, we have put
to shame people who say what money cannot do, more money will. We did not give
these people here anything. We only appealed to their concience, to come
together and pray so that the state can be exorcised. The people came here to
rescue themselves. What you are seeing is a mass movement. The state is the
richest in Nigeria, yet the people are not feeling the impact. Change has come
and there is no going back.”
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