Otti Moves to Unite APGA in Abia as Estranged Members Return

Emmanuel Ugwu

With the 2019 general election fast approaching, many estranged members of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) in Abia State have started retracing their steps back to the party to jostle for party tickets to actualise their political ambitions.

Notable among the returnees is the APGA senatorial candidate for Abia North in the 2015 general election, Chief David Onuoha Bourdex, who has decided to return to APGA after a brief romance with the All Progressives Congress (APC).

The return of the former APGA senatorial candidate was confirmed when the leader of the party in the state, Mr. Alex Otti, led members of the party’s state working committee to visit Bourdex at his country home at Abiriba in Bende Local Government Area.

It was learnt that Bourdex was compelled by stakeholders to abandon his romance with APC when they pointedly told him that he would not receive their support if he used the platform of any other party outside APGA which is the party of choice in Abiriba community.

Describing him as ‘a brother’, Otti said he had known him for over 30 years, and it was fitting that when APGA was looking for a credible senatorial starndard bearer for Abia North, the lot fell on him.

He noted that Bourdex’s romance with APC was not in his best political interest hence his decision to retrace his steps was a step in the right direction.

“When he (Onuoha) was going to APC, we knew it was not the right way to go. I am glad that he is back to the APGA fold,” he said.

Otti thanked the people of Abiriba for standing with APGA during the 2015 general election and have remained steadfast ever after, adding that he was expecting them to redouble the support they gave APGA in 2015.

Alluding to the spate of defections by politicians and oscillations from one party to the other, the APGA leader in the state explained that he had no problems with those leaving or coming back to the party because it was within their democratic rights.

“That’s the way of democracy; it is a matter of choice,” he said, adding that the only snag was that some people had been sending wrong and misleading information out of fear of competition.

Otti warned that as party leader, he would not accept a situation where people are coming back to foment trouble or to start peddling false information in order to create an impression that APGA was in disarray.

Earlier, Bourdex, who expressed joy to be back to the APGA family advised that the party must remain united for its members to win election on its platform.