Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Chief Uche Nnaji yesterday led other party leaders to receive no less than 5000 defectors into the Enugu State Chapter of the All Progressives Congress, APC.
The defection took place during a rally at Aku town in Igbo-Etiti local government area of the state.
Nnaji was accompanied by the state Chairman of APC, Chief Ugochukwu Agballah; the member representing Udi-Ezeagu federal constituency in the House of Representatives, Hon Sunday Umeha; the Director General of Raw Materials Research and Development Council, Prof Nnanyelugo Ike Muonso and other party stalwarts.
Speaking at the event the Minister stated that the massive defection into APC across the state shows that the people are beginning to acknowledge the projects being executed by the President Bola Tinubu administration in the state, even as he expressed disappointment at what he called misapplication of resources and high taxation in Enugu state.
The Minister said that high taxation has worsened economic hardship under the watch of Governor Peter Mbah in the state.
He said, “Today in Enugu we are facing a major economic quagmire, today in Enugu we are number two from bottom as the most expensive city in Nigeria. Enugu is a civil service town but still we are the second most expensive city in Nigeria.
“What is the problem? It’s because of the type of tax the government has imposed on our people. A hawker, small girls selling ordinary sachet water, pays between N300 and N500 every day. If you calculate it, he or she is paying over N100, 000 a year.
“If that money is being properly utilized, our teeming young men, the youths and women will have free education, they will have good health facilities for our children and they will have good infrastructure for the state. Today we don’t have all these because our taxes are not being applied where it should be applied.”
While commending Engr Celestine Attah, a former House of Assembly candidate under the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) for leading members of APGA, Labour Party (LP) and the Peoples Democratic (PDP) in the local government into APC, Chief Nnaji promised more employment for young people from the area and more federal infrastructure in the state.
The Minister said that APC in the state has been repositioned to take over the government of Enugu state in 2027 and appealed to the people of Enugu state to support the party as well as the re-election of President Bola Tinubu in order to attract more federal appointments and infrastructure to the state.
“The coming election will not be like the previous one because right now we have a party; before we didn’t have a party, APC before was a mercantile party, a party they use for trading in Enugu state, they use it to trade with PDP. But now all the moles who were trading with the party have been shown the way out.”
In his remarks, the state chairman of APC, Chief Agballah expressed gratitude to President Tinubu for the ongoing reconstruction of Ninth Mile – Opi – Markudi road which is also being made a dual carriageway, as well as other federal projects in the state.
He said that for many years under the governance of the party Igbo-Etiti people supported for 26 years, the entire local government was completely inaccessible due to the complete collapse of road infrastructure into the LGA; not until the coming of the government of Bola Tinubu’s APC that they never voted for.
The party chairman said the president has given the people of the area two brand new international standard dual carriage express roads from Ninth mile to Opi Nsukka and another federal road from the same Ninth mile to Makurdi.
He said, “Our plan in Enugu, we are very intentional in our politics. APC is a party for serious minded ideological change oriented progressives that want to change the status-quo in Enugu because for 26 years PDP leadership has held our people hostage. Enugu, which used to be the number one state in South Eastern Nigeria, is now coming last.
“It’s because of one party system that PDP has been giving us poor governance. So we are going to give Enugu the best, and bring about a creative high performing governance and that’s why we want competitive democracy in Enugu.
“We would want those in the government to promote their party while those in opposition to bring out credible candidates that will vigorously challenge them so that anyone who finds himself in power after 2027 will no longer take the people of Enugu state for granted. We want to restore the dreams of the founding fathers of wawa land.
“When they created Enugu it was first among equals. Enugu was more developed than all states in the entire South East and also South South states of Rivers, Cross River and Akwa Ibom. Enugu was also more developed than Delta state, Enugu was competing with Ibadan, Kaduna and Lagos states which were regional capitals.”
Hon Umeha while speaking for the APC House of Rep caucus members of Enugu state predicted that APC will take over the Lion Building, Enugu state Government House in 2027.
“For the record, I’m speaking here for myself and on behalf of other members of APC House of Representative caucus of Enugu state made up of myself, my brother Prof Paul Nnamchi and Hon Chimobi Atu.
“Let me emphasize that APC in Enugu state is poised to take the lead come 2027. I have said it and I’m reiterating it again, how it will work I don’t know but I can assure you that come 2027 we will take over the Lion Building.
“The leadership of Chief Uche Nnaji in Enugu state is not only inspiring but result oriented. We are determined to make sure that Enugu state is connected 100 percent to the centre. Enugu is the headquarters of South Eastern Nigeria and we cannot play second fiddle.”
Speaking on behalf of other defectors, Engr. Celestine Attah said he was attracted by President Tinubu’s decision to appoint Enugu man the Chief of Naval Staff, establishment of Naval College in the state, construction of a Naval base at Uzo-Uwani, appointment of Enugu man as Vice Chancellor of University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN) and the construction of 9th Mile-Opi road.
“What is happening today is the foundation of our contribution to making APC win Enugu state and the massive rally is for Mr. President and for APC to take over the government of Enugu state come 2027,” he said.