It was celebration galore in Onyedega, headquarters of Ibaji local government in Kogi State, as thousands of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) members in the local government defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The leader of the decampees, Engineer John Ibrahim Ocheje, who led all the 10 former councillors, PDP ward chairmen and their supporters to the venue of their defection at Onyedega, said that the decision of the people to dump PDP for APC was borne out of their conviction that the local government can thrive better under the All Progressives Congress.
According to him, Ibaji under the present administration of Capt. Idris Wada did not enjoy any dividend of democracy that is worth praising, saying the area could not remain with PDP while there was continuous dearth of basic social amenities.
Ocheje who contested the House of Representatives primary election on the platform of PDP and failed said, “We need a sense of direction through a purposeful leadership. I am decamping because of my people; they need the leadership that could lead them into a positive change that will reflect in their lives”.
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He lamented that the people of Ibaji have been voting PDP en masse since 2003, but have nothing to show for it under PDP leadership, noting that the people are not happy with the total neglect of the area by the party.
Receiving the multitude of the decampees, the zonal leader of APC in Kogi East, Mr. Daniel Isah, commended the courage of the people in joining APC, and urged them to always speak with one voice to enable them enjoy the dividends of democracy under the party.
He said, “This is the right time for Ibaji people to belong to the mainstream of Nigerian politics. APC is a party of development; that is why all the states governed by the party enjoyed significant development”.
