By Stephen Adeleye

The coordinator and leader of Labour Party (LP) in Olamaboro Local Government Area, Mr David Apeh, and over 200O others, on Monday defected to the All Progressive Congress (APC) in the state.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Kogi State Deputy Governor, Chief Edward Onoja, received the defectors with enthusiasm at Okpo Olamaboro.

Onoja eulogised the LP leader, his followers and several other defectors from the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and People’s Redemption Party (PRP) and New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) for heeding to the voice of reasoning by joining APC.

The deputy governor explained that the APC worked tirelessly to defeat PDP in 2015, repeated same in 2019, expressing confidence that 2O23 would be a walkover.

He stressed that the ruling party had performed tremendously well in social economic and infrastructure development across the council and the state at large under Gov. Yahaya Bello’s administration,

The deputy governor assured that with the increase in the number of registered voters, the LGA would double its winning streak.

He further called for massive support for the APC presidential candidate, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu and his running mate, Kashim Shettima, saying Kogi would hugely benefit from Tinubu’s administration if elected Nigeria’s president.

Reacting on the allegations against him by LP House of Representatives candidate, Chief Peter Ameh, that he authorised the destruction of billboards, Onoja urged the LP candidate to do the needful by obeying the law.

According to Onoja, the state has passed a signage law through Kogi Internal Revenue Service (KGIRS), which stipulated the amount payable by candidates of political parties before mounting billboards and posters in the state.

He disclosed that as sitting Deputy Governor, he paid huge amount of money to advertising agencies for him to paste posters and mount billboards when his principal, Governor Yahaya Bello was contesting for presidential ticket of the APC.

”My name is a catalyst for news, a brand that if not added to a story by my detractors, their stories will not sell.

”I never ordered anyone to destroy billboards, because I am chairman of KGIRS,” Onoja said..

Earlier, the coordinator of the defectors and LP leader, said he was an ‘intensed political archenemy’ of the deputy governor with several confrontations in many fora .

”But having sat down and did a comprehensive analysis of the political trends in the country, i realized that labour party was not going to have a meaningful headway in the 2023 polls.

”I, therefore decided to pitch my tents along with my over 2000 numerous supporters with the ruling party,” he said.

Apeh enjoined all sons and daughters of Olamabiro in opposition parties to join APC, stressing that the party had brought unprecedented developmental strides to the areas.

Other dignitaries at the events were: House of Representatives member for Olamaboro/ Omala /Ankpa Federal Constituency, Mr. Abdullahi Halims; and Commissioner for Commerce and Industry, Mr Gabriel Olofu.

Others included the Chairman Olamaboro, Mr Friday Adejoh; member, House of Assembly member, Anthony Ujah Alewo and a host of other sons and daughters of the LGA.

End

  Alhaji Abdullahi Hallims, APC, Chief David Edward Onoja, Kogi State, Mr. David Apeh, Mr. Friday Adejoh, Olamaboro LGA