Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Uche Nnaji, said at the weekend that the infrastructure being developed by President Bola Tinubu was attracting defectors into the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Nnaji spoke as leaders of the party in Enugu State alleged an attack on party members and destruction of canopies and plastic seats in an attempt to forestall a reception rally for defectors at St. Charles Catholic Church field, Opi, Nsukka, by sponsored thugs of an opposition party.

The alleged attack, it was gathered, almost marred the rally attended by the Minister; the state party chairman, Ugochukwu Agballah; three members of the House of Representatives: Sunday Umeha (Udi/Ezeagu), Chimaobi Atu (Enugu North/Enugu South), Prof. Paul Nnamchi (Enugu East/Isiguzo); among others.

But Nnaji, who was full of praises for members for not submitting to the attack, stated that Tinubu’s style of administration had impacted the party positively, especially in Enugu State.

He told the numerous decampees into the APC from the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), African Democratic Party (ADP), and Young Progressives Party (YPP) at the event that Tinubu had done much to deepen the APC and make it attractive to Nigerians.

“We are here to receive our people who are joining our party, APC, the party at the federal level. Our people say that it’s when one raises his mouth that one receives food. Our people are not in APC and we are making it possible by what we are doing for our people; by the capacity the president is showing, by the infrastructure the president is bringing into Enugu state, we are making it work for our people.

“It is on the mandate of Mr. President that we have been able to give a lot of employment to our people. It’s on the mandate of our people and the president of this country that we are able to build two major roads into and out of Nsukka.

“It’s on the mandate that today we can boast that a Nsukka man is the Vice Chancellor of University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN). It’s the president that is doing all these things for us, and we say thank you to the President and Commander,” he said.

While praising the determination of the people of Nsukka and the defectors for standing their ground, he assured them that their decision to join the APC was the best decision they have taken politically and would not be taken for granted.

“So we thank all of you for this wonderful gathering. We are not afraid of anybody; we fear nobody. If they like, let them come here 10 times; it will not deter anybody from coming to do our rally. And I thank Nsukka people, despite all the harassment, you are still able to come here in your thousands to welcome us,” he added.

Nnaji stated that the problem in Enugu state was that some people were trying to reap where they did not sow, noting that “somebody inherited a vibrant party like PDP and within two years he destroyed PDP and is now trying to defect to another party.”

On his part, a major stakeholder of APC in Nsukka (Enugu North) senatorial district and former Commissioner for Housing in the State, Peter Okonkwo, recounted how the venue was attacked three times with sporadic shooting in the air, while the people remained resilient.

“Honourable Minister, let me officially tell you that they attacked this gathering here three times today. They came the first time, they attacked us; we were so resilient, we regrouped again and came back. They attacked us again, we were so resilient, and we are here again. They destroyed properties worth millions in this attack, they assaulted people, they wounded people, they were shooting double-barreled guns against our people.

“The poster of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria was torn to pieces, defaced and destroyed. They are attacking us with militia because we insisted that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu must do his second term. Let me send a loud message clearly: they should be prepared to attack us more. The more they attack us, the more we go for President Ahmed Tinubu; the more they shoot at us with double-barreled guns, the more we go for Bola Ahmed Tinubu. After three consecutive attacks and this teeming population here, these masses, these women still came back to this arena to support the second tenure of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

“Hon Minister, if you get back, tell Mr. President that the Nsukka zone of Enugu state is willing to take more bullets for him…”

The state chairman of APC, Agballah, decried what he described as “the same pattern of attack,” recalling that the party was similarly attacked at Aboh in Udi local government and Ogurute in Igbo-Eze North local government area, respectively, and in each case, the party had to change the venue of their reception rally.

The House of Representatives members, Umeha, Atu, and Nnamchi, asked the state government to fish out those who attacked the rally and to condemn the development.

The federal lawmakers stated that it was time that Enugu and Ndigbo connected to the centre, citing the benefits to include a recent federal university signed into law to be sited at Ako Nike in Enugu state, among several other projects and tertiary institutions sited in different parts of the South East under President Tinubu’s administration.