By CHARLES IWUOHA

Over 500 members of All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), and Labour Party (LP) in Amaeka community, in Ezza South Local Government Area of Ebonyi State have officially joined the ruling All Progressives Congress(APC).

The defected members were received by the state Commissioner for Commerce, Industry and Business Development, Chief Oguzor Offia Nwali during a Christmas Party organized for the people of the community, APC zonal Chairman Ebonyi Central, Chief Peter Nworie and Amaeka Ward Chairman of the party, Maduabuchi Nwafor.

The APGA, PDP, LP members were ledby their leaders including Chidiebere Uguru, former PDP youth leader in the community and Pastor Christian Nwokpoku on Monday.

Addressing the decampees and the community, Chief Offia Nwali assured them of level playing ground and commended them for joining the ruling party.

He noted that the party was so large and open to welcome everybody in order to join hand with governor Francis Nwifuru to move the state forward.

“There is nothing like party. The more the merrier for all of us. The more in numbers, the more the party fair better. We need everybody in the party, today is a great day for me for us tobe ablechampion one course and that one course is unity, progress and support for the government we are serving which is the government that has remembered Amaeka and the state in general.

“Things have turned around since the governor came on board. Retirees have been paid that 25 years retirement benefits, hawkers in various cities have been empowered with N2million each. The governor is a leader we can trust and this is the first time I have stop condemning the government not because I am part of the government, but because the governor has changed the narrative of governance in the state,” he stated.

APC Zonal Chairman, Ebonyi Central, Chief Peter Nworie, said the defection of the APGA, PDP and LP members mark the end of opposition in the community.

He urged the decampees to respect leaders of the party, assuring that there will be no segregation against them.

“Today is a great day and APC has come to stay in Ebonyi State. Today is the end of APGA in Amaeka ward, today is the end of PDP in Amaeka ward and one of the members of PDP has promised to tear his membership card because it represent nothing.

“Today, we welcome your into our party, APC. Our party is a great party very large to accommodate everybody and that is why every other political party is collapsing into the party.

“In our party, we don’t segregate. From today, you are a bonafide member of APC. Everything in the party belongs to you but we must learn to respect our elders, we must respect the party leaders. There is nothing like late comer in APC, the day you join is the day you are a member,” he stated.

Some of the decampees including Chidiebere Uguruand PastorChristian Nwokpoku said they decided to join APC because of the leadership style of governor Francis Nwifuru.

Ugurunoted that the governor has carried the community along in the scheme of things including appointment of sons and daughters of the area in positions of authority and empowerment of many indigenes of the community in the empowerment programme of his administration.

“APC is our party, we have declared for it. We are now members of APC, no more opposition in Amaeke community.

“From today, we out of PDP, APGA and Labour Party. We are for APC now, APC is a party that gives light, provide electricity, gives empowerment, APC is a party to be. What APC is doing in our state is good and we cannot afford to be in opposition.

“We should be baptized in APC, we are APC for life. There is no more oppositionin Ameka, what we now have isAPC all through because we cannot afford to be inopposition when the government is carrying us along in everything it does,” he stated.