President Goodluck Jonathan today came under fire for allegedly engineering division in the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), the ruling party in Anambra State, and the recent defection of four federal lawmakers from the party to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Aggrieved Anambra APGA members have accordingly called on Jonathan to stop destabilising the party because of his 2015 presidential ambition.

Addressing journalists today in Awka, Chief Jude Emecheta, President of Initiative for Good Governance, a Governor Willie Obiano support group, said that any attempt by President Jonathan to disorganise APGA would result to his loss of Anambra State in 2015.

He alleged that the President was using some oil magnates from the state to divide the ranks of APGA towards reclaiming Anambra State for PDP in the next election.

Emecheta said: “We know the (PDP) style of thuggery, threats and power show but APGA has been in the system for a long time and we are going to use the last drop of our blood to resist their antics.

“Rumours are rife that Jonathan is empowering the PDP bigwigs to regain Anambra State at all cost. We learnt that so much money had been voted out including N100 million each to the defecting members with their campaigns bankrolled by the Presidency.

“Obi refused to join PDP to become a minister because he has integrity and that would have been questioned if he had heeded to the call and he is aware that the heart of Ndigbo is in APGA.”

The Initiative for Good Governance alleged that two PDP kingpins in Anambra with interests in oil and gas dangled the sum of N100m to the defecting APGA lawmakers to entice them to their party with automatic tickets in the state so as to put APGA in disarray.

The group expressed their delight at the moves by Governor Obiano and the party hierarchy to intervene in the matter by calling the defectors to a meeting.

As reported yesterday by News Express, members of the House of Representatives that defected from APGA to the PDP include the former state governorship aspirant on the platform of APGA and Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Environment, Hon. Uche Ekwunife;

Deputy Chairman of the House Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Victor Afam Ogene; member representing Onitsha North/Onitsha South Federal Constituency, Cyril Egwuatu; and the Chairman, House Committee on Culture, Tourism, Pilgrimages and Religious Matters, Chief John Olibie.

According to the Initiative for Good Governance, “If the hawks in PDP are confusing the President to destabilise Anambra for his 2015 ambition, he has got it wrong completely.

“APGA is a mass movement of our people; it has gone beyond both the National Chairman and former Governor Peter Obi who has been the real father of the party.

“The President will be making a very big mistake to allow PDP members to try to destabilise the state, we know they can never win Anambra state again.”

•Photo shows President Jonathan.

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