The Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Delta State, Valentine Onojeghuo (Esq), has reacted to the reported defection of Governor Sheriff Oborevwori and the entire PDP structure in the state to the APC, describing it as a welcome development, even though the state chapter has not received any formal communication.
He made this known in a phone interview with our correspondent.
According to Onojeghuo, “At this stage, we cannot issue any formal statement because we are not aware, we are only hearing about it like every other person. It’s a welcome development. We are very happy that he is coming to join us because the priority at this stage is to ensure that we deliver the state for Mr. President for a second term.”
When asked whether the APC in Delta State had prior knowledge of the defection, he clarified, “As far as I know, there have been no formal or official meetings with the governor that I know of, but I’m sure that the party at the national level is discussing with them. But as far as this state is concerned, we are hearing the news like every other person.”
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He emphasized the strategic importance of the governor’s defection, saying, “Like I said, it’s a welcome development. It also means the governor has accepted the economic transformation being done by Mr. President and he has keyed into it to say Delta State cannot be left behind. So it’s a welcome development and we welcome him and will work with him and every stakeholder and make sure we deliver Delta State for Mr. President, which is the first priority like I said.”
Addressing recent comments from Senator Ned Nwoko of Delta North and former Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege, Onojeghuo stated, “Let me say this, APC is a political party and every person under the constitution has a right to freedom of association and is welcome to join us. If he has taken a decision to join APC, he will follow due process and he is welcome to join us.”
He continued, “There is nowhere in our constitution or the constitution that stops people from joining APC. So people are entitled to their opinion. As far as I’m concerned and our constitution is concerned, the governor is at liberty to join APC following due process to join the party. So he is welcome.”
Dismissing any notion of hierarchy or exclusion within the party, he added, “In APC, we don’t have first class or second class members, everybody is equal no matter when you join. So if he has decided to join us, he is welcome. So whoever is saying he cannot join us, that is the person’s own opinion. We are not a secret society that forbids people. We are a political party. We need people. The more people join us, the stronger we become. We need people to help us deliver Mr. President.”
