*Tufia kwa to PDP

After savouring two terms of eight years under the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), former Governor of Ebonyi State, Chief Martin Elechi has finally dumped the party with an ignominious quip – tufiakwa (good riddance to bad rubbish).  

He did on Sunday, after a church service in the state to mark the event of his signing in with the All Progressives Congress (APC) at his country home in Echialike, Ikwo local government area, in front of national party leaders.

The septuagenarian, who worshipped with party leaders in Abakaliki, the Ebonyi capital, at a thanksgiving church service for the recovery of President Muhammadu Buhari from his ill-health, gave his reasons for his decision thus: “I knew Buhari 49 years ago when I started the movement for the creation of Ebonyi as he intervened during my arrest with nine other comrades, by officers of the defunct Nigerian Security Organisation (NSO).

“I was interrogated while standing for nine hours and he as the brigade major in Abakaliki at that time, ordered our immediate release.

“I thank God for his health as he had favoured the people of Abakaliki and will triumph in his onerous task of rescuing the country from misrule.

“He is the person Nigerians are waiting for as the Boko Haram and corruption issues could have been indescribable if God had not brought him to power.

“I was elected governor on two occasions under its platform as it used to be the pride of Africa, but was suddenly ravaged by self-inflicted crises and afflictions,” he said.

“In 1983 when I was the secretary of the National Party of Nigeria (NPN) in the old Anambra, the budget for the national elections in Anambra and Imo, now south-east zone, was N170,000.

“In 2015, however, the budget for my impeachment was N3billion and this was followed by the distortion and malpractice recorded in the primaries and congresses to elect the PDP candidates.

“Those who were heavily bribed and intimidated with oaths were elected to participate as delegates as court injunctions were illegally secured to perpetrate these acts

“Armed security men surrounded people’s homes during the elections, ballot boxes were snatched and all forms of impunity perpetrated. Three years ago, I would have attacked anyone who said Ebonyi belongs to APC, but currently, me identify with PDP–God forbid.”

Minister of Science and Technology, Dr. Ogbonnia Onu, who joined other top party officials including National Leader, Kashim Imam and South East Zone Chairman, Emma Eneukwu, applauded Elechi for the decision, which he said would greatly please the President.

“What you did today will never be forgotten in the history of the state as we all should support President Buhari to actualise all his objectives for Nigeria,” he said.

Imam, while appreciating the former governor’s gesture, invited the South East to adopt and identify with the APC as the party that would assuage their fears, while Enukwu, who said he was mandated by the APC National Chairman, John Oyegun, to ensure that Elechi registers with the party, described him as a big fish that the party must be proud of catching.