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From: David Onwuchekwa, Nnewi
It was a harvest of new members, on Tuesday, in Atani Ward 1, Ogbaru Local Government Area of Anambra State as no fewer than 470 members of All Progressives Congress (APC), Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Progressive Peoples Alliance (PPA) and Labour Party (LP) publicly rejected their membership of their various parties to join the ruling All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) party in the state.
In a well-attended gathering of Atani Ward 1 stakeholders and members to round off the week long APGA membership revalidation exercise where over 800 had registered for the membership of the party in the Ward, saw a mammoth crowd troop out to reaffirm the grip of the party in the Ward and to formally receive new members into the party.
Receiving the decampees, Senior Special Assistant to Governor Willie Obiano on Political Matters, Comrade Arinzechukwu Awogu, thanked the new members for deciding to join APGA, which he described as “A party that does not order people living in its controlled State to leave, a party that accommodates all Nigerians, a party with visible records of unequalled performance and a party that is responsive to the yearnings and aspirations of Ndigbo.”
In their separate speeches, the decampees took turns to state what motivated them into joining the party. One Miss Light O. Obiajulu said that her mother is a civil servant and that the family felt a sense of financial security as the mother would always receive her salary on the 24th of every month. She said that she was joining the party because the Governor paid salaries of her mother and that of other workers in the State unlike what obtained in other States. Another decampee, Mrs Emodi Ukaria said that her children that schooled at Igbariam moved with much ease and less cost as a result of the buses the Governor made available and would want the policy to be sustained. She said she felt that it was only when Governor Obiano would be reelected that it would be sustained.
Mr Okolie Tobechukwu C., said to be a well known headache to APGA in the Ward when he was in the opposition, admitted that he was moved by the accommodating spirit of notable individuals in the party to join the party and affirmed that he had collapsed his entire structure into APGA. It was observed that the major factor that had motivated the decampees into joining the party was their conviction in the performance of an APGA government led by Governor Obiano. They maintained that the Governor had shown strength in governance and could only be encouraged to do more when supported by all to complete his eight years in office.
Comrade Awogu used the opportunity to assure the decampees that there would be enough space in the party to accommodate them and many more new entrants that were coming into the party. He further said that the resolve of the Governor Obiano led administration to transform the State was daily churning out results as could be seen in the massive construction going on on Ogwu-Aniocha road and other roads in Ogbaru and in Anambra State despite the rains.
Earlier, Chief Nzemeka Olisa, the chairman of ASUBEB had listed numerous benefits that had come the way of Atani community and Ogbaru LGA, maintaining that Ogbaru had found favour before Governor Obiano and would have to reciprocate that by voting massively for APGA in the coming election. The ASUBEB boss urged the new members to be good ambassadors of the party and help spread the reason for which they decided to join the party to those yet to join, which is that “Willie Obiano is Working.”
The Atani Ward 1 get together was graced by all the notable leaders of the party in the Ward and in Ogbaru LGA including Hon. Barr. Ignatus Akaka, the TC Chairman of Ogbaru LGA; Chief Nnamdi Achike, SA political to the Governor; Hon. Nnamdi Ifejika, Ogbaru APGA Chairman; Hon. Chigozie Obi, Ward Chairman; Hon. Ifechukwu Anigboka, TC Ward Councilor/ Secretary to the local government among others. There were also representatives of the State charpter of the party led by Hon. Osita Osalagba, the State deputy youth leader of APGA. Groups such as EOLM, U-AYA and Obiano Support Group were all in attendance.
