By VINCENT UJUMADU

ABOUT 1,500 members of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, on Tuesday decamped to All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, in Anambra.

Their leader, Chief Arthur Nwandu, who was a PDP governorship aspirant for the 2013 election led the members to join the party at Enugwu-Ukwu in Njikoka local government area of the state.

Nwandu said they decided to leave PDP because of the lingering crisis at both the state and national levels.

He said: “PDP, for quite some time, has been having a lot of inherent problems which did not start as a result of this election.The crisis has also extended to the national leadership of the party which nobody knows when it would be settled.”

He described APGA as a well organized party, formidable and a party to beat in any election in the state, and pledged their support and loyalty to the governorship candidate, Chief Willie Obiano.

He also promised that they would work for the victory of APGA in the November 16 election.

Nwandu commended APGA for doing his community, Enugwu-Ukwu, the favour of nominating Dr Nkemakonam Okeke as the running mate to Obiano, saying that he is very reliable and trusted by the people.

He described the national chairman of APGA, Chief Victor Umeh as a charismatic, eloquent, and wise man who had fought and won many political battles for the party.

Receiving the members, Umeh commended Nwandu and his supporters for taking the bold step to rediscover their roots by joining the party and urged Nwandu to work with the youth to ensure victory for the party at the election.

Umeh described APGA as the only party for Igbos to realize the democracy dividends at the centre and noted that the combination of Obiano and Okeke was a force to reckon with in view of their pedigree.

“With the collective efforts of Nwandu and Okeke, from Enugwu-Ukwu, APGA is sure of winning in Dunukofia, Njikoka and Anaocha local council areas of the state,” Umeh said.

In his remarks, Okeke said that the event portends that people of the area were beginning to see the value of APGA as apolitical party.

He promised that those who defected would become major stakeholders of the party in the town and the entire state.