The members of All Progressive Congress (APC), Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) and United Peoples Party (UPP) in Okpko, Ogbaru Local Government Area of Anambra State, have declared for the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA).
The decampees attributed the disagreements arising from the candidates their now estranged parties produced at their various party primaries.
The facilitator of the meeting, Hon. Dan Obi in his address said the political forces that controlled Okpoko have decided to converge under the canopy of Gov.
Willie Obiano’s re-election bid. Consequently, he said, they have chosen to collapse all structures into APGA to ensure that Gov.
Willie Obiano wins in Okpoko which has over 93, 000 registered voters. The decampees who included women leaders, youth leaders and chairmen of opposition parties in Okpoko, he said, chose to join APGA because of the irregularities in their former parties and particularly because APGA under Gov.
Willie Obiano has liberated Okpoko and returned Okpoko to the people of Okpoko.
Welcoming the decampees, the Senior Special Assistant to the governor on Political Matters, Comrade Arinzechukwu Awogu said that a well performed government should be encouraged to completie its programmes, noting that the government of Governor Obiano has done exceptionally well in the last three and half years.
He said Obiano needed to be supported to complete its developmental initiatives for the state, commending the decampees for the bold step they have taken in identifying with Governor Obiano’s re-election bid. Awogu urged the new political spirit pervading Okpoko Community should be sustained, assuring the people that Obiano is miles ahead of his challengers and will coast to victory on the 18th of November 2017 election.
Speaking the President General of Okpoko Development Union, Hon. Eddy Emesinwa said that Okpoko was in crisis because the Obazes removed him as elected PG of Okpoko Community unconstitutionally in September 2014 and foisted an alleged “murderous Caretaker Committee that pillaged and plundered Okpoko Community for 3 and half years”.
In his address, Chief Benjamin Sunday Mofunanya, the Igwe-elect of Okpoko Community alleged that it was the Obaze brothers that removed the name of Okpoko from the list of recognized Communities in Anambra state until the Community took up a fight and forced government to reverse it. He also said he was elected Igwe of Okpoko by the people of Okpoko on the 4th of October, 2007 but the Obazes frustrated the effort of the Community for the government to issue him certificate of recognition. Chief Mofunanya traced the crisis in Okpoko to the Obaze brothers and wondered if Okpoko as a Community will ever stop seeing the Obazes as a curse to the Okpoko Community. He however demanded that his certificate of recognition be issued to him so that he can further secure and bring lasting peace through traditional leadership to the people of Okpoko who produced him as the Igwe-election of the Community.
