A top notch of the All Progressive Grand Alliance, APGA and a political leader in Ideato Nation in Imo State, Chief (Engr.) Paul Aballa (Emetumba), has dumped the All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, and led no fewer than ten thousand of his supporters into the Social Democratic Party, SDP.
In a formal defection ceremony which held at the Local Government Headquarters of Ideato North, Urualla on Wednesday, Emetumba declared that APGA is officially over in Ideato Nation.
The University of Benin-trained Mechanical Engineer and topnotch petro-business tycoon decried the unconscionable exploitation of the people of Imo State by the APGA leadership, saying no good government can be formed by a bad political party. He also emphasized that no person of conscience will identify with a political party which leadership is so corrupt as not to organise primary elections at all levels.
He said, “The hollow rituals that happened in APGA will never be allowed to stand.”
He recalled the agonizing treatment meted out to the old men and women from Ideato who starved and roamed the streets of Owerri for three days, waiting fruitlessly for a governorship primary election which the Party never conducted. He further condemned in strong terms the conscription of democratic space within the party, and noted that APGA has already lost out before the contest.
For him, “What APGA did was to place all tickets for sale and the highest bidders got them. That is the height of democratic travesty. I built APGA in Ideato North, Ideato South and Owerri Municipal. For five years I have continuously paid for the LGA secretariat of APGA here. The secretariats both in Owerri Municipal and Ideato South were also donated by me. I was responsible for their furnishings as well. For years I have sponsored the meetings of APGA at all levels, nurturing the party to maturation. But it’s unfortunate that people who never loved the party from the word go have found themselves at the helm of affairs and have chosen to destroy the party beyond repair.
“Today I am glad that the entire APGA structure in Ideato Nation has chosen to discard the party. As their leader, I have shown them a credible alternative in the SDP. Together we shall gave our governorship candidate, Sir Okey Ezeh, a landslide victory at the polls. This is a task that must be accomplished,” he assured.
