Buhari welcoming emeka Ojukwu Jnr to APC
Emeka Ojukwu Jnr, son of the founder of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), late Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu, has dumped the party for the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Not even his resolve to dump APGA was more confounding, but that he ditched the former Anambra State Governor Peter Obi of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) whom he praised to the high heavens in a recent interview he granted to TheNiche.
Feelers from Awka, the Anambra State capital on Wednesday said the camp of the PDP candidate, Oseloka Obaze, particularly Obi, was taken aback by the decision of Ojukwu Jnr.
Ojukwu Jnr made his declaration on Wednesday in Awka at the grand finale campaign of the APC candidate for the Anambra State 2017 governorship election, Tony Nwoye.
President Muhammadu Buhari; the APC National Chairman, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun; 12 APC governors; National Assembly members in the party, among other party big wigs, witnessed the event.
According to Ojukwu Jnr, his decision to join the party was to protect the interest of the Igbo.
Ojukwu Jnr, who was adorned in a toga of his new party, said it was time for the people of the South East region to move from “the recession of the periphery to the centre”.
He added: “It is time to leave the shadows for light. Every now and then, they come out with my father’s shadow to confuse the people.”
According to him, APGA is a means to an end but not an end itself.
He said the reason why his father joined the National Party of Nigeria in the Second Republic was to ensure that Igbo people remained in the mainstream of Nigerian politics.
Ojukwu Jnr said: “Mr. President, I am proud to stand here today in support of you and in solidarity with the APC and our candidate, Tony Nwoye.”
The APC national chairman presented the party symbol to him and described the rally as “another historic campaign”.
Odigie-Oyegun recalled that Buhari made history when he unseated the incumbent President, Goodluck Jonathan, in 2015, saying that the same feat would be achieved in Anambra 2017 governorship election.
The national chairman urged the people of the state to vote en mass for the party and Nwoye at the poll on Saturday.
However, an APGA chieftain said Ojukwu Jnr. is a political featherweight and cannot help a party that has been helping him.