Supplementary polls: Ebonyi APC candidate dumps party, backs PDP

Less than a day to Saturday’s supplementary elections, the All Progressives Congress candidate for Ezza North West State Constituency, Chikaodili Nomeh, has scorned his party and ambition to lend support to his Peoples Democratic Party counterpart, Victor Chukwu.
The State Assembly election of March 9 was stalled in three constituencies in the State, namely Ezza North-West Ezza North-East and Izzi East owing to violence.
Nomeh, while addressing newsmen in Abakaliki, blamed the APC leadership in the State for the abysmal failure the party recorded in the last election, adducing such as a major reason for his decision to gilt the party.
According to him, the lackadaisical attitude of the party coupled with the alleged despicable character of its governorship candidate, Senator Sonny Ogbuorji, rendered contestants on the platform of the party vulnerable and politically incapacitated to achieve desired victory.
The intended lawmaker further alleged that the way and manner the party leadership in the State handled the funds meant for the elections devalued their potency rather than enhance their performance.
He further traced the genesis of the party’s problem to its primary elections in which he alleged that Ogbuorji manipulated the process to install his cronies, noting that he had to approach the court to reclaim his mandate.
Nomeh, who emphasized that his decision to dump the APC was made freely without coercion, congratulated Governor David Umahi and the PDP, adding that he consulted widely with his supporters before taking the step.
Nomeh explained: “The borderline of the whole issue were visible disposition of the APC in the State as demonstrated in both electioneering campaigns and elections proper where the party lost even in the gubernatorial candidate’s polling unit to the rampaging Peoples Democratic Party in the National Assembly elections in the State.
“With all the issues, it became obvious that APC in the State was never serious in elections and thereby made some of using the contest typical of a man in wild goose chase.
“In the end, we were not only made vulnerable but also politically incapacitated to win the election as desired.
“Therefore, after thorough consultation with family members and political associates, I hereby resign my membership of the All Progressives Congress and withdraw from the contest as well as the supplementary election slated to hold in Ezza North-West State Constituency on Saturday, 23rd March, 2019.”
Nomeh called on his supporters to accept the decision in good faith, while joining hands with him in support of the developmental programmes ongoing in the State even as he moved to the PDP.