The Senatorial leader of the Peoples Democratic Party in Edo State, Elder Sunny Uyigue; the Woman Leader of the party, Mrs Lucy Omagbon; and her husband, who is a former member of the House of Representatives, Mr. Harrison Omagbon, have decamped to the Action Congress of Nigeria with over 3,000 of their followers.
At two separate decamping rallies which held on Thursday at Okada in Ovia North East Local Government Area and Iguobazuwa in Ovia South West Local Government Area, the former PDP leaders attributed their decision to join the ACN to the one-man dictatorship in the PDP and the developmental strides of Governor Adams Oshiomhole.
Uyigue, who was a leader in the Chief Samuel Ogbemudia faction of the PDP, said at the rally: “From today, PDP in Ovia North East is buried politically. There is no ward they will win again and I am sorry for the boy they are parading. He is not in the area at all. If you look at the kangaroo primary they held in Ogbe Stadium, he lost four in seven of the local governments in Edo South. That is a pointer to the things to come. He has no base.
“He says he was a Major-General in the Army. Can he point to anybody he lifted up in the Army or anybody he empowered even in his own Agbodo community?
“What are the antecedents of the soldier? He served in the army for donkey years but he was not a combatant soldiers.
“Right here now, the who-is-who in the PDP, the result-oriented people, are here with me.”
In her own words, Omagbon said: “For a state woman leader to leave a party, you know that party is gone. When I was in PDP I used to admire Oshiomhole because he is hungry for development to make Edo a modern state.
“I am here to openly declare to the world that I am now with the ACN.”
Oshiomhole, who received the decampees, said the new arrivals in the ACN are quality politicians known beyond the boundaries of the state.
He said: “We are building a movement that recognises that politics is not a game without purpose.”
He asked people of the state to reject the PDP candidate since his party has nothing to offer but empty promises of hope.
While querying the PDP candidate’s alleged deep pockets, Oshiomhole said the people of the state should ask him how he became so wealthy since he was only a soldier and not a businessman.
He said he is not a man to be trusted with the state’s treasury, so the people should reject him at the poll.
Other PDP leaders who decamped at the rallies were Major Omobude (rtd), A.I. omokaro, Hon. Asemota, High Chief Akenwe, Hon. Tijanni Suberu and Hon. Robinson Iyomagha.
Others were Hon. Edward Idahosa, Hon. Olumamen Idahosa, Gen. Ayuba Preye, Mr. Okpamen Bello and Mr. Ojo Osariemen.