BY SIMON EBEGBULEM
BENIN CITY—NO fewer than one hundred members of the All Nigeria Peoples Party, ANPP, in Edo State, including the chairman of the party in Edo South, Mr Samson Oyegue, have decamped to the Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, citing the developmental projects of Governor Adams Oshiomhole as reason for their action.

But other members of the party, including the state Secretary of the party, Mr. Osbert Agho and Mr. Sunny Omoruyi, who declared that he is the authentic chairman of the party in Edo South, not Oyegue, disowned majority of the decampees, saying that “only eleven of them are members of the ANPP, others were just non-members who were hired to make up the number”.

While declaring their stand on the decampees during a press conference, they also urged Governor Adams Oshiomhole to “concentrate on delivering the promised dividends of democracy to the people of the state and stop enticing and luring other political party members with plum positions as that is a disservice to democracy”

They further lamented that despite the 13 per cent oil derivation accruing to the state, no meaningful development had been observed in the three oil producing Local Government Councils of Ikpoba Okhai, Orhionmwon and Ovia North East Local Government Councils since the inception of the Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN led government in 2008, adding “so claiming that our members are moving to the ACN is misleading since we have no reason to do so”.

However, Mr Oyegue who led the decampees was received by Governor Adams Oshiomhole and the state chairman of the party, Thomas Okosun. He said “we are here to join the Comrade Governor to contribute our quota to the development of the state. We want you to come back 2012 because you have convinced eighty percent of voters with your developmental projects”..

While welcoming the ANPP decampees, Governor Oshiomhole described the ACN as a political movement for change and sustainable development. The Governor disclosed that the government is determined to remain focus and play politics of development in which the people come first, second and third as against the regime when the godfather come first, second and third and