Second Republic governor of Anambra State, Chief Jim Nwobdo; Senator Fidelis Okoro of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Enugu State.
Nwobodo, also a one time senator was the first executive governor of old Anambra State while Chief Fidelis Okoro was a senator between 1999 and 2007.
They declared for APC at a state APC stakeholders meeting convened by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Jeffrey Onyeama, on Friday.
Nwobodo was recently named by the former National Security Adviser (NSA), Colonel Sambo Dasuki (rtd), among those who benefited from the $2.1 billion arms fund scandal currently being investigated by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
The former governor denied any wrongdoing, saying that the N500 million released to him by the NSA was meant for PDP leaders in the South-East to mobilise for the re-election of Goodluck Jonathan as president in the 2015 election.
Members and stakeholders of APC at the meeting were shocked when Chief Nwobodo and Senator Okolo arrived at the meeting.
The minister, who was reportedly attending the meeting for the first time, could not hide his surprise on the turn of events as shown in his speech.
Speaking at the event, Nwobodo urged members of the APC in Enugu State not to be deterred by the electoral losses they suffered in the state in the past.
“I am not looking for a job. I am talking because I want peace. I want our people to be part of the Federal Government at the centre. I had a problem being an opposition governor. I am not coming into APC because I want anything. I want our people to reintegrate and have our own share of the Federal Government resources,” Nwobodo said.
Nwobodo recalled that while he was in PDP, his wife had always been a member of the APC, just as he pointed out that the slogan ‘change’ did not start now but in 1983 when he was an opposition governor.
