The national leadership of the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) has mocked the Deputy Governor of Anambra State, Dr. Nkem Okeke, whose defection to the All Progressives Congress (APC) was confirmed on Wednesday.
The Herald had reported that President Muhammadu Buhari presented an APC flag to Okeke at the Presidential Villa, Abuja in the presence of Chairman of APC Caretaker Committee, Mai Mala Buni and Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodimma.
Reacting in a statement, the National Publicity Secretary of APGA, Tex Okechukwu, said that the Anambra deputy governor’s defection to APC was of no consequence.
He said that Okeke’s defection was instigated by his inability to secure APGA’s ticket for the November 6 gubernatorial election in the state.
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He said that the defection was expected because Okeke had been faulting everybody for his failure to clinch the ticket.
“The deputy governor had thought that the governor and the party were going to hand over the governorship ticket of the party in the last primary to him on a platter. When that didn’t happen, he started behaving abnormally, even to the point of insubordination and dereliction of duties,” Okechukwu’s statement read in part.
Okechukwu said APGA viewed the exit of the deputy governor, without formal notification to the party or his principal, as uncalled for, ill-timed and ill-advised as the governor had always treated him with respect, love and consideration.
He added that the party frowned at the desperation being exhibited by the opposition APC in the build-up to the November 6 Anambra State Governorship Election, calling on all members of the party to remain united to ensure that APGA won the election with wider margins.
“Let nobody be deceived:APC has no root anywhere in Anambra State and that is why all that they do is going about luring political deadwood with money and other lucres,” the statement further read.
The party called on Governor Willie Obiano not to be distracted by the defection of his deputy, which it described as “a ploy to create a semblance of disunity in his government”, but to remain resolute in delivering the dividends of democracy to his people.
“No matter the designs of the opposition and other subterranean forces, APGA is poised to win the forthcoming election and continue with the massive infrastructural development going on in the state.”