The Chief Whip of the Senate and the highest ranking elected political office holder of the All Progressives Congress in the South East, Senator Orji Uzor Kalu, on Sunday welcomed frontline chieftains of the Peoples Democratic Party to the APC.
The ex-Commissioners in the Administration of Governor Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia State were officially welcomed to the APC after decamping from the PDP at Camp Neya, the country home of Kalu in Igbere, Abia State.
Those involved were the immediate past Commissioner of Finance in the Ikpeazu Administration, Hon. Obinna Oriaku, and former Commissioner of Works and Transport, Hon. George Nnana Kalu.
Oriaku hails from Owerri Nta in Mbutu community of Isiala Ngwa South Local Government, while Nnana Kalu hails from Amogudu Abiriba, Ohafia Local Government Area.
Presenting the broom to Nnana Kalu, the Senate Chief Whip said: “Up till last night, he was a member of the PDP and he has chosen to follow the moving train and I will want to also decorate the former Commissioner of Finance here today and give him broom too.
“We are working and this is our state and we will take over the state.
“We started the state and we will take over the state.
“I have the mandate of the National Chairman of APC, His Excellency Governor of Yobe State, to continue cultivating new members into this party.
“We welcome you, former Commissioner for Works and Rransport of Abia State.
“You are welcome to our great party.
“We give you this broom to sweep out all the evil in the state.
“I am also using this opportunity to warn and appeal to the state government: nobody who has chosen to be a member of the APC should be harassed.
“Nobody who has on his own chosen to belong to any political party should be tormented.
“We did not do that and we don’t expect anybody to do that.
“We will follow the law to pursue such cases and I don’t want to hear that property owned by APC members are revoked.
“I am sure Governor Okezie is educated and well civilised and would not do that and I call on his aides to be very careful too.
“Some of them worked with me and they know we play politics without bitterness and I expect them to respect the sanctity of democracy, which is the freedom of association.”
Addressing newsmen, Nnana Kalu, who called Senator Kalu the democratic leader of Abia State, thanked him for welcoming him back to the party.
He said: “We all worked under you and you performed and we are ready to work again.
“Thank you for this opportunity that is given to me to join this party and make this party great.”
Oriaku noted that his joining the APC was not accidental, but a well thought out plan.
He said: “His excellency, our dear leader, today is another wonderful day.
“I am most grateful for having me under your roof and giving me the first broom, which symbolises sweeping and cleansing of what has been defined as the problems of our state and I am quite convinced that the only way to redeem our state is by joining APC.
“Not by accident.
“It was a well thought out process and I am convinced that with what we are seeing today, we will win Abia in 2023.”