The All Progressives Congress (APC) is having talks with more Governors in the South East zone who are members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to join its folds.
Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodinma who is presently the only APC Governors in the zone stated this after a meeting with the Mai-Mala Buni-led Caretaker Committee at the party’s National Secretariat in Abuja on Monday.
Uzodinma confirmed that APC has been adequately informed of the planned defection of the Ebonyi State Governor, Dave Umahi’s to the party.
He said: “If you recall when I addressed you here a couple of months ago, I told you that the moment I resume Office in Imo State as the Governor, the impression and the perception of our party in South East will change and the resultant effect will be that more credible individuals and Governors will even join the party. Today I am being vindicated because we are hearing it and I’m sure few hours from now we get a confirmation that one of our bests will be joining the party and is the Governor of Ebonyi State.
“Of course, I will be very glad and it will be my joy to welcome a Governor and more Governors, not only him, we are still talking more Governors to join. APC is the ruling party and for the interest of national integration and cohesion, Imo and South East indeed, needs to become part and parcel of the ruling party to make the Nigerian project a complete project”.
The Imo State Governor also told journalist that he visited the headquarters of the APC to meet with the critical stakeholders and officers of the party to know the status and on going events in the party ahead of the upcoming Imo North Senatorial bye-election.
“I had a private audience with the National Chairman and some members of the NWC (Caretaker) and also to be able to touch base with our preparedness for the upcoming bye-election. Of course you know any moment from now there will be a Senatorial bye-election in Imo State, Imo North Senatorial District and I think our party is prepared, in Imo too we are prepared. APC is the party to beat in Imo State.
“The most important thing is APC to win the election. The party has internal mechanisms of confirming who the candidate is. The Supreme Court has said it, the Electoral Act has said it. Every party has the right and it is only the party that sponsors a candidate. Of course we have our candidate, there are some few legal issues going on. I don’t want to go into that now because the matter is pending in court is subjudice but at the end of the day we have a candidate”.
