The former Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party Imo State, Nzeh Ray Emeana, on Monday, said he was constrained to quit PDP for the ruling All Progressive Congress because he was convinced that the former had come to the end of the road.
Emeana, who defected to the APC along with other executives of the party gave this explanation while addressing newsmen in Akwakuma, Owerri North Council area, according to Tribune.
He said that he was constrained to quit the party in preference to the APC, considering the fact that the PDP had no candidate to challenge Governor Hope Uzodinma in the November 11 Governorship election.
Emeana, who spoke under the aegis of a group names “G7” said that his defection was to brighten prospects for the emergence of a Governor of Owerri zonal extraction after the tenure of Governor Uzodinma in 2027.
The former lawmaker in the Imo state House of Assembly who represented Owerri North State constituency, rebuked the National Working Committee of the PDP for closing their eyes and failure to fashion guidelines to move the party forward thereby plunging the party into confusion and anarchy.
He said, “For us to have an Owerri man as a Governor in 2027, Governor Uzodinma represents our hope to build a new Imo and the circumstances we found ourselves in PDP actually convinced us that the end of the road had come.”
He further stressed that PDP has no candidate to confront Governor Hope Uzodinma in the November 11 Governorship election and in line with the Imo Chatter of Equity, Owerri can only produce a Governor in 2027 by supporting Governor Hope Uzodinma for the second tenure, “else he (Uzodinma) will partner with Okigwe zone to take over from him in 2027”.
He stated that the Imo Charter of Equity favours Owerri to take over power from the incumbent Governor Hope Uzodinma, however praised the governor for his impressive performance especially on Roads construction, Reconstruction and rehabilitation.
He said, “Do you do opposition for the sake of doing opposition?”
The former Secretary dismissed insinuations in some quarters that he was induced with the sum of N1.5 billion by Governor Uzodinma to join the APC, insisting that the members of PDP were suffering from suffocation because the end of the road had come for them.
Continuing, he denied nursing any political ambition for now but pleaded with the media to engage with Governor Hope Uzodinma to stem insecurity in the state.
Also in his speech, the Owerri zonal chairman of APC and Deputy Chairman of the state Council of Elders, Prince Lemmy Akakem, disclosed that critical stakeholders of the Owerri zone have already endorsed Governor Uzodinma for second tenure.
The board member of the 7-man prerogative of Mercy used the forum to appeal to all indigenes of Owerri zone angling for the November 11 gubernatorial poll to drop their ambition and do support Uzodinma to complete his second tenure, stating that those still obstinate are only out to play the spoilers game.
Akakem said that he had defected not to run for any elective positions despite his resources and position in society, but to pave ways for the younger generation to grow, even as he pleaded with the social media to tread cautiously and to partner with the state government in its effort to tackle insecurity and other challenges confronting the people.
