A former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Pius Anyim, on Saturday, July 13, 2024, defected to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
Mr Anyim, a one-time president of the Senate, defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) alongside 2023 Ebonyi State governorship candidates for the PDP and the Labour Party, Obinna Ogba and Edward Nkwegu.
They defected to the APC with some of their supporters at the grand finale of the APC campaign for the Local Government Area (LGA) elections in Abakaliki, Ebonyi State’s capital city.
Speaking at the event, Mr Anyim said that Ebonyi State has always been one political family and the massive defection of members of the opposition to the APC is an attestation to such fact.
Stating that his defection from PDP to APC had been long hatched especially during the time of former governor David Umahi, the ex-SGF appreciated God for the smooth move to the ruling party.
He said, “We are aware of the enormous economic and sociocultural challenges confronting the country and the need to patriotically support President Bola Tinubu to surmount the challenges.
“We intend to collaborate with all federal appointees from the state especially the Minister of Works, Umahi to support and step down President Tinubu’s life-uplifting policies to Ebonyi people,” he said.
APC top leaders welcome defectors
Also speaking, the National Chairman of the APC, Abdullahi Ganduje, commended the governor of Ebonyi state, Francis Nwifuru sustaining his predecessor’s ideals of enlarging the APC in the state and South East geo-political zone.
“The APC is presently de-marginalising the South East zone by placing it in the mainstream of national politics.
“The ministerial among other appointments given by President Tinubu to indigenes of the zone, massive infrastructural development in the zone among others, attests to this fact,” Ganduje said.
In addition, Mr Nwifuru commended the defectors for their bold steps to join the APC and assured them that they would be adequately accommodated in the party.
He said, “I thank my predecessor and father, Senator David Umahi, for laying this strong foundation for the party’s growth in Ebonyi and President Bola Tinubu for his fatherly support to us in all ramifications.
“Ebonyi will develop more rapidly when its leaders and people stay under one roof, to actualise the people’s charter of needs mantra of the administration.”
