The National Chairman of the All Progressives Grand Alliance, Victor Oye, has said he was shocked by the Deputy Governor of Anambra State, Nkem Okeke’s defection from the party to the All Progressives Congress despite all that Governor Willie Obiano did for him.
Oye stated that there was neither crisis nor disagreement within the ranks of AGPA to warrant the defection by Okeke.
The President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), had on Wednesday received the Deputy Governor at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
Okeke was presented to Buhari by the Chairman of the APC Caretaker Committee and Governor of Yobe State, Mai Mala Buni, alongside the Chairman of the APC Campaign Organisation for the November 6 governorship election in Anambra State and Governor of Imo State, Hope Uzodimma.
Speaking on the defection while featuring on Politics Today, a current affairs programme on Channels Television which our correspondent monitored on Thursday in Abuja, Oye criticised Okeke on the morality of his defection.
Oye said, “It is not a big deal for me; I am being very frank with you. This is my 40th year in politics. We have seen deputy governors abandoning and jumping ship and going to other political parties in the run-off to elections. This is not strange. We are not even surprised.
“But I want to be personal now. Nkem Okeke is a man I know very well on a personal note. You cannot leave the party after seven years and seven months. They have just five months to go but he just jumped ship. It is not proper. And he is an intellectual; well educated. What is he looking for in the APC?
“Obiano was very nice to him. He got everything he needed. He had a fleet of cars. He lives in a very beautiful home. His office is well equipped. He gets his allowances regularly. What else does he want? I must tell you, I was shocked that he could leave the party despite all that the governor and the party have done for him. He got his second term ticket on a (silver) platter.”
APGA had described the defection by the Deputy Governor as having no consequence on the party’s fortunes.
This was contained in a statement which was signed by the National Publicity Secretary of APGA, Tex Okechukwu, on Wednesday and titled, ‘Defection of Nkem Okeke of No Consequence.’
In the statement, APGA said the defection by Okeke was long expected since he had been bearing a grudge for failing to secure the APGA governorship ticket for the November 6 election.
