A member representing Ukwa East State Constituency in the Abia State House of Assembly, Hon. Lewis Obianyi, elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party, has defected to the Labour Party, citing Governor Alex Otti’s inclusive, impactful and verifiable governance in the state as his reason.
Obianyi joined the LP alongside key political stakeholders from the Ukwa East Local Government Area of the state.
Some of the stakeholders who also defected to the Labour Party include Hon. Paul Taribo, Chief Bright Benson and Lady Chinedu Brown, among others.
Speaking during a visit to Otti on Saturday, Obianyi recalled that in September last year, he informed the governor of his intention to join the Labour Party and commended him for the warm reception he received.
He said the visit was in fulfilment of earlier discussions, during which it was agreed that the decampees would formally present themselves to the governor ahead of an official reception in Ukwa East.
Obianyi said Otti’s tangible achievements had attracted them to the Labour Party and pledged the full support of himself and other stakeholders.
He said, “People are seeing tangible developments. They are no longer seeing audio infrastructure. What they are now seeing are infrastructures that can stand the test of time.
“As of today, Your Excellency, you have laid a foundation that after 2031, whoever takes over from you will find it easier to take Ndi Abia to the next level.
“That is why I have come to follow you. We are not looking for a party to belong to; what we are looking for is good governance, and today you have provided leadership for us.”
Receiving the delegation, Otti congratulated Obianyi on his decision to join the Labour Party alongside other stakeholders from Ndoki land, assuring them that a date would soon be fixed for their formal reception.
He said his interest in politics was anchored on the welfare and happiness of the people.
“The most important thing is that we belong to one political party called Abia State, and everything we do is to promote the welfare and happiness of our people,” the governor said.
Otti announced that the general hospital approved for Ukwa East would be delivered this year, adding that the flag-off ceremony would take place soon.
He explained that the project was delayed after it was discovered that the initially designated site was unsuitable, but that an alternative site had since been donated by an indigene of the area.
“To the glory of God, an Ndoki son donated a large parcel of land, which was handed over to the contractor on Friday. I have given the contractor until the end of the year to deliver a state-of-the-art general hospital for our people,” he said.
The governor added that construction would commence immediately and hinted that the hospital project could be flagged off during his visit to Ukwa East for the formal reception of the decampees.
Otti also thanked the delegation for the gift of Akwete cloth, noting that his administration, through the First Lady, had been promoting the fabric globally, including at the United Nations General Assembly.
He assured the Ndoki people of government support to commercialise Akwete cloth to make it more affordable and accessible.
Earlier, while introducing the decampees, the Mayor of Ukwa East Local Government Area, Chibunna Akara, said the delegation comprised stakeholders from various opposition parties who had now resolved to join the Labour Party.
He said they were awaiting the governor’s approval of a date for their official reception in the local government area.
Among the stakeholders who declared for the Labour Party are Paul Taribo, former Deputy Majority Leader of the 7th Abia State House of Assembly; Chief Bright Benson, former YPP House of Representatives candidate; Lady Chinedu Brown, a two-time Commissioner for Women Affairs; Hon. Hyacinte Iheanacho, PDP ward chairmen coordinator in Ukwa East; Prof. Kamalu of the University of Port Harcourt; Barr. Ben Ogbonna, a retired Superintendent of Police; Mrs Esther Bright, Women Traders in Politics coordinator; Chief Theresa Aja, PDP woman leader in Ukwa East; Elder Israel Bethel, former Special Adviser on Agriculture; and Dr Felix Idah Waboso, Chairman of the Ijaw National Congress, Ndoki clan.
The Commissioner for Information, Prince Okey Kanu, was also present during the visit.
Click to signup for FREE news updates, latest information and hottest gists everydayAdvertise on NigerianEye.com to reach thousands of our daily users
No comments
Post a Comment
Kindly drop a comment below.
(Comments are moderated. Clean comments will be approved immediately)
Advert Enquires - Reach out to us at NigerianEye@gmail.com