Less than six days before the February 25, 2023 general elections, it has been gathered that some ward chairmen of the Delta state All Progressives Congress (APC) are said to have collected N2 million each to defect to the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), has learnt.
The N2 million each was allegedly paid by the state governor and PDP vice presidential candidate, Ifeanyi Okowa to woo the APC ward chairmen across the 25 local government councils to join the PDP.
It was however gathered that the resignations, which is being done in secret, was as a result of the alleged high-handedness, greed and inability of the state APC governorship candidate and deputy senate president, Ovie Omo-Agege to see to the welfare of his party men who have been complaining about alleged neglect since inception of office.
Speaking to newsmen on condition of anonymity, one of the APC ward chairmen confirmed that they were paid N2 million each and that their resignation letters had been prepared for submission in the next few days before the general elections.
“Please I don’t want my name to be mentioned but truth be told, we are over 250 APC ward chairmen across the 25 local government councils in the state who have prepared their resignation letters to dump the APC and join the PDP.
“We have met with the state government and concluded all necessary arrangements to join the PDP but we agreed not to make noise about it. And we are collecting N2 million each from the state government.
“This is a deal that is already sealed and delivered. Since we were handpicked into the position by the APC governorship candidate and the deputy senate president, Ovie Omo-Agege, we have not seen or received any good from him monetary wise.
“Since our secret meeting with the state government leaked, Omo-Agege and leadership of our party in the state have been running up and down to see how to stop our move from the party to PDP.
“We have been bought over by the Delta state PDP. Which of the APC ward chairmen can boast of N2 million since he was selected to occupy the position, none has ever benefited anything. Omo-Agege is running the state APC as a sole administrator and we are tired of such slavery. Go and ask Nick Ovuakporie, the state APC secretary why he left the party last month to join the PDP.?
You will see he left the party for the same reasons we are leaving. Omo-Agege is a dictator and has pocked the party. We are moving to PDP with our N2 million, just watch out.
“An official of the state APC who also spoke on condition of anonymity confirmed the story but stated that all was already been done by the party’s leadership, the governorship candidate and deputy senate president, Ovie Omo-Agege to halt the defection of the ward chairmen to the PDP.
“Please this is not official response because I was not directed to speak for the party. Though the story is true, over 200 of our ward chairmen met with the Delta state government and reached a compromise of N2 million each to the ward chairmen to tender their resignation and join the PDP and we heard the deal is sealed but in secrecy it will be carried out. But I thank God, our party got wind of the whole thing and we appealing that they don’t dump the party for PDP. Though their reasons for quitting is very germane.
“Please reach out to the state party’s publicity secretary, Mr. Valentine, to speak on the issue. But please I don’t want to be quoted in any way okay. Just recently, we lost our secretary, Nick Ovuakporie to the PDP and just over the weekend, he got his PDP membership card from the party’s chairman, Joel Orute in Oyede Ward 12, Isoko North Local Government Area of the state. Nick was also co-secretary of APC campaign council,” the source stated.
Also reacting to the story, an APC House of Assembly candidate in Delta North, said, “The story is true. But the party has already intervened and I am afraid if the ward chairmen can be stopped, especially with the involvement of N2 million each. However, let’s see how it goes. The deputy senate president and the governorship candidate, Ovie Omo-Agege is not trying at all. The era of dictatorship is gone, let him put the interest of all at heart not acting as a sole administrator.”
When contacted, the state publicity secretary of the APC, Valentine Onojeghuo, denied the report saying, “It was just a mere allegation that has no bases. APC is one and working for one purpose to delivery it’s governorship candidate and deputy senate president, Ovie Omo-Agege and all other candidates of the party at the general elections.
“None of our ward chairmen have resigned to join the PDP, rather, it’s the PDP that people have been decamping from to our party, the APC. Please the story is not true.”
Source: SaharaReporters
