Joe Chukindi, Awka
Senator Uche Ekwunife Saturday said she joined the All Progressives Congress(APC) because the PDP was no longer interested in winning the Anambra Central senatorial election which is expected to hold in March.
She said part of her reason was to ensure that her people are well and equitably represented and have a voice in the national government.
Ekwunife who formally made her defection to APC known to her Campaign Organization, said her desire to serve her people made her to leave the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
The former ranking lawmaker who took time to explain to them her journey and the intrigues of the PDP got the full support of her followers and supporters who pledged their loyalty for her in the new party.
Insisting on the need to be in the ruling party to serve her people, Ekwunife in the presence of the State Secretary of PDP, Chief Okigbo and the Vice Chairman, Anambra Central, Hon. Kenneth Enemuo said, “Somebody said sometime that for you to know if something will work you have to try, without trying, you won’t know whether it will work or not. And in life you must take a step.
“Some people said Iyom, why now, our people will they accept APC? I said what did APC do? Why won’t they accept it? Why they voted PDP before was because it was a national party so they can be part of national government. Today APC is the national party, will you continue to be in isolation? We must be part of the government in order to have a voice in the government so that our people will be well and equitably represented.”
She also praised the leader of APC in the state and the Minister of Labour and Employment, Sen. Chris Ngige whose antecedent she said contributed in her choice for APC.
Ekwunife stressed that the indefinite suspension of the scheduled primaries for the election of the party’s candidate for re-run election was the last straw that broke the camel’s back, as it made it obvious that PDP was not ready to present a candidate.
She said, “Now, when I came here I look at all that and I said no, God you must speak to me, give me direction on how to go because I want to serve my people and I cannot serve my people if I don’t have a platform, platform matters.
“We had the stakeholders meeting on Tuesday, unfortunately on Wednesday evening one pressman called me and said we have one publication here, are you no longer running? I said am running, he said we have something for publishing on Thursday, I said can you scan it to me and he scanned this thing to me where PDP suspended all programmes and activities concerning congresses and primaries until Olisa Metuh is released from prison.
“Meanwhile, any party that must produce candidate must do this between this week to Wednesday next weekotherwise that party has lost the opportunity to present a candidate. When I saw this, I say no, it can’t happen. Politics is about serving the people and more political parties are there also as platform for you to use to serve your people. What matters is the quality of representation, it doesn’t matter the party you are in, if you are not a good candidate if you are in any party you can work. In any party you are, if you are not patriotic to your people you can’t do anything for them.
“We have to also look at the involvement of our people in the national party and looking at this, I don’t think I need any soothsayer to tell me that I must try my luck elsewhere and I looked at all the programmes of other parties and all the characters and the stakeholders in different parties and I said who has the best interest of Igbo man in all the parties. I look at the former Governor of Anambra State, our son Dr. Chris Ngige, and said with Onwa in the field, is it not over? I have been working with him and I won’t have any problem working with him. We did campaign with him and everywhere we met, we joked and greeted and moved on and that is why I said I don’t want hates politics because you don’t know where you meet the person tomorrow.
“Today we are with him because without him accepting me I can’t be in APC. He is the leader of the party here, so without him, is not possible, but God made him available, so I am there with him now,” Ekwunife said.
