Ikpeazu debunks planned defection of Abia PDP members to APC

Group lauds gov on road devt, warns detractors
Abia State Governor, Okezie Ikpeazu, has debunked rumours of mass defection of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) members to the All Progressives Congress (APC), including himself, insisting that he will hand over power to a PDP governor in 2023.

He told stakeholders not to panic over the rumour, stating that the two party chieftains did so because he refused to promise them automatic tickets for 2023.

Speaking yesterday during the first PDP stakeholders’ meeting of the year in Umuahia, Ikpeazu asserted that PDP remained the party of choice in the state; hence all hands must be on deck to consolidate on its gains and strength.

“The PDP remains as strong as ever in the state. The rumour of my imminent defection plan is unfounded. There is no cause for alarm over the rumoured defection of PDP members to other parties,” he said.

The governor advised party members not to allow their personal ambitions to override the party’s interest, as the general elections were barely two years away.

Addressing the stakeholders, Chairman of the party, Allwell Okere, said the meeting was part of strategies of the State Working Committee (SWC) to keep key stakeholders abreast of happenings in the party and seek their inputs into various programmes of the party.

MEANWHILE, Coalition of South East Youth Leaders (COSEYL) has urged the detractors of the governor to appreciate his efforts on road construction in the state.

In a statement issued yesterday by the President-General, Goodluck Ibem, and the Secretary General, Kanice Igwe, the group expressed happiness over the projects.

“COSEYL, the apex socio-political youth organisation in the South East geopolitical zone, lauds Governor Okezie Ikpeazu for developmental projects execution, especially the Osusu road, First Avenue, Ebenma road and Egege road, despite reduced federal allocation to the state, EndSARS protests that led to the destruction of so many government properties and the pandemic, which greatly reduced the state’s Internally Generated Revenue (IGR). This has proved that he is indeed a manager of lean resources,” the statement read in part.