It was a day of joy for the Delta State chapter of the All Progressives Congress when a former Peoples Democratic Political heavyweight, Chief John Miller Orido, and his followers decided to dump the PDP for the APC. Orido, who was welcomed to the APC fold in Delta State at an enlarged ceremony that took place at Chinkelly Schools, in the Uvwie Local Government area of Delta state, said he decided to leave the PDP for the APC because he and his followers had not gained anything from the PDP.
He said, “The saying goes that if your church cannot change you, you change your church. The political party I belonged to i.e. PDP did not change nor add to my life. Thanks to God for the APC party that has brought good change to Nigeria, including Delta State.”
He said the ceremony that marked his reception into the APC fold was a new beginning and dedication for him within and outside Delta State, adding that the time had come for Deltans to join hands with the APC to fight corruption, which was the bane of underdevelopment and poverty in the society.
The former PDP chieftain called on all APC members in the country to adjust to the new changes and imbibe the culture of hard work and clean opportunities, which would result in true growth.
He said, “Our societal economic values and orientation will be geared towards development that is visible rather than those illusory publications of praises in the daily newspapers. I implore you to embrace the present change as a goal to achieve. APC has shown the world the need to imbibe tolerance, hard work, accountability and so on.”
Earlier, a former Delta State Commissioner for Education and proprietress of Chinkelly Schools, Dr. (Mrs.) Veronica Ogbuagu, lamented the state of Delta APC, saying that the party was in disarray. She noted that the leadership of the Delta State chapter of the APC had been mired in litigation and other controversies after the 2015 election, adding that nobody was in direct control of the party, causing its foundation to weaken dangerously.
She said, “Today, we have so many splinter groups within the party holding secret meetings and playing games that undermine the party. There are also some party elders who refuse to recognise that the party has numerous problems to solve and so, keep insisting that all is well.
“Such elders sweep failure under the rug or examine problem from a defensive position that undermine their ability to take rational decisions.”