Imo speaker, 18 APC, PDP members defect to Action Alliance
The speaker of the Imo State House of Assembly, Acho Ihim and 18 other members defected to the Action Alliance (AA).
The defectors included 15 members of the ruling All Progressives Congress and three People’s Democratic Party’s members.
They announced their defection during plenary session.
With this development, the AA now controls the majority of the 27-member assembly with 19 members; while the APC has three members and the PDP, none.
The speaker said the defection was due to the crisis that bedevilled the APC primaries in the state.
“After the injustice that was meted to our members by the national chairman of our party, the APC, some of our members went to another party to actualize their ambitions. They wrote me a letter through Ikechukwu Amuka, expressing their intentions and today I want to officially announce that 18 members of the House have officially defected to AA. It is interesting to note that PDP members also moved to AA, and as speaker, I have no choice than to join the majority by dumping the APC for AA”.
The defectors were Ikechukwu Amuka (Ideato South) Arthur Egwim (Ideato North), Obinna Egwu (Ngor-Okpalla) Chinedu Offor, (Onuimo), Uju Onwudiwe (Njaba), Mike Iheanetu (Aboh Mbaise), Victor Onyewuchi (Owerri West), Ken Agbim (Ahiazu), Bruno Okuoha (Wzinihitte), Lyod Chukwuemeka (Owerri West), Kennedy Ibe (Obowo), Henry Ezediaro (Oguta), Lugard Osuji (Owerri Municipal) and the Speaker Acho Ihim (Okigwe).
Majority Leader Lugard Osuji said their defection did not affect their support for President Muhammadu Buhari’s re-election.