Mandela Obasi, the lawmaker representing Ohafia North State Constituency in the Abia State House of Assembly, says he has dumped the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the Labour Party (LP).
The LP is the ruling party in Abia State.
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Mr Obasi announced his defection while speaking with reporters on Wednesday after a closed-door meeting with Governor Alex Otti of Abia in Nvosi, Isiala Ngwa South Local Government Area of the state.
He said that he decided to join the LP in order to fully identify with Mr Otti because of the governor’s performance.
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He said that the governor’s development agenda had made it easier for politicians to engage with their constituents.
“I officially came here to identify myself with the Governor of Abia and to join him properly in the Labour Party because of the good work he is doing in the state.
“The good work of the governor is visible across Abia.
“Even in my constituency, people point to roads and other projects executed by his government,” Mr Obasi said.
He also said that when people travel to Abiriba, his community, they readily acknowledge the projects carried out by the Abia State Government.
He said that such visible achievements make things easier for politicians seeking the people’s mandate.
He said that the governor’s projects were not limited to major towns in the state but also extended to rural communities.
The lawmaker also attributed his defection to internal wrangling within the PDP, which, he said, had left the party without clear leadership direction.
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“I am leaving PDP because we no longer have a leader.
“Some members of the party are already aligning with other parties.
“If you check the Abia House of Assembly, I am among the few members still remaining in PDP,” he said.
Mr Obasi said that he had exercised patience for a long time but decided to leave because the party was “declining irredeemably”.
He also expressed optimism that his supporters and political associates in his constituency would join him in LP “in due course”.
According to him, his political structure remains strong in the constituency.
“We are on the ground at the grassroots, and when we move into the LP, people will see the difference,” he said.
(NAN)
