Abia APC in disarray, as deputy gubernatorial candidate defects to PDP

The hope of the All Progressives Congress (APC), the leading opposition party in the country, to make impact in the gubernatorial election in Abia State, may have suffered a setback, following the recent defection of Fred Eke Idika, its deputy gubernatorial candidate in the state, to the People’s Democratic Party (PDP).
This is as Nyerere Anyim, APC gubernatorial candidate in Abia State, in the forthcoming election, described the development as a good omen.
Nyerere, in a telephone interview with BusinessDay, weekend assured the party’s supporters in the state, not to be bothered about the development, as the state chapter of the party is still intact and ready for the election.
Idika defected to the PDP with over 20,000 of his loyal supporters, within and outside Abia, at the PDP Women’s wing of Presidential Rally in Umuahia, the Abia State capital.
According to Idika, PDP-led government in Nigeria has done well generally and the transformation agenda of President Goodluck Jonathan deserves continuity.
“Therefore, joining the PDP is the best option for me and my teeming supporters since we now know better,” he affirmed.
He pledged his support for Okezie Victor Ikpeazu, PDP gubernatorial candidate in Abia and other PDP candidates in the state, as he described Ikpeazu, as the right person to drive the vehicle of development from May 29, 2015.
Also, farmers in Abia State, under the aegis of All Farmers Association of Nigeria (ALFAN), Abia State Chapter, have endorsed the candidature of Okezie Ikpeazu, for the forthcoming gubernatorial election in Abia State.
The resolution for the endorsement was passed by the farmers at a stakeholders meeting organised by ALFAN, Abia State Chapter, in conjunction with the Youths in Agriculture Programme (YEAP).
Dunlop Okoro, chairman, ALFAN, Abia State Chapter, while presenting the resolution, observed that as an agrarian state, farmers constitute majority of the voting population in Abia State, stating that whoever they endorse, usually wins the gubernatorial election.
He stated also that apart from the PDP gubernatorial candidate in Abia State that the farmers have also resolved to support President Goodluck Jonathan and other PDP candidates in Abia State.
Obinna Ndukwe Ibiam, coordinator, Youths in Agriculture Programme, Abia State Chapter, also explained that the group decided to support Ikpeazu after accessing the programmes of all gubernatorial candidates in the state.
According to Ibiam, Ikpeazu’s agricultural blue print is the best.
Theodore Orji, Abia State governor, represented at the event by the State Commissioner for Agriculture, Okezie Onwutebe, assured the farmers of the continuous commitment of the state government to the improvement of their fortunes.
Ikpeazu, who was elated by the farmers’ endorsement, promised not to disappoint them.
He described himself as a farmer too, having worked in his parents farm, while growing up and promised to pay special attention to the needs of farmers and disclosed that he had commissioned a team to study the Abia Palm Plantation in Ukwa, the Ulonna Farm Settlements, the Abia Rubber Plantation and other agricultural concerns in the state with a view to ensuring that they produce at optimal capacity when he assumes office.