A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress, Offor Okorie, has criticized the recent defection of the immediate-past speaker of the Abia State House of Assembly, Chinedum Orji, and his loyalists to the APC.
Chinedum Orji, the former Speaker of the Abia State House of Assembly, officially defected to the All Progressives Congress on Tuesday. He was issued the APC membership card by the State Chairman of the Party in Abia, Kingsley Ononogbu.
The defection came after Enyinnaya, the son of Theodore Orji, a former governor of Abia State, tendered his resignation from the Peoples Democratic Party on Monday, citing issues within the party.
Reacting to the defection, Offor Okorie, in a statement on Wednesday, described the entry of former PDP members into the APC as an energizer that would strengthen the party for future elections. However, he reminded the decampees that the APC is a national party guided by its constitution, and defection must follow constitutional procedures.
Okorie, the State Publicity Secretary of the APC, emphasized, “All registration is done at the ward level according to the party constitution, and not on someone’s table. You cannot go to anybody’s office, fill out a form, collect a broom, and declare yourself an APC member along with your supporters.”
He further stated, “What Chinedum Orji did in an office in Umuahia, as being circulated on social media, is illegal and unconstitutional. The national officers of the party from Abia State and major stakeholders were not even aware of his defection. Some saw it on social media platforms and started calling me to confirm if it was true. As much as we welcome defectors from PDP, their coming into the party should be constitutional.”
