A former Governor of Imo State, Ikedi Ohakim, has defected to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
Ohakim, who was elected as Imo State Governor in 2007 on the platform of the Progressive Peoples Alliance (PPA), announced his defection to the APC at Okohia in his hometown in Isiala Mbano Local Government Area of Imo State.
The former governor, who is a staunch ally of former Governor Emeka Ihedioha, had also abandoned his party, PPA, to join the Peoples Democratic Party, where he remained until his recent defection.
Ohakim was one of the founding members of the PDP in Imo State and remained a PDP member until November 2006, when he defected to the Progressive Peoples Alliance (PPA) to contest for the state governorship election.
Speaking at the formal declaration, he said he was persuaded to join the APC “by those who will bury me.”
He said, “As they rightly observed, I have a unique orientation in participatory politics that emphasizes common interest as against personal interest.
“It was on record that in 1998, against the pull of the tide, many people were surprised when I refused to line behind APP which was considered the party of the movers and shakers of the State then and joined the PDP. What followed later was almost a political tsunami that consumed the then powerful APP in Imo State.
“This time around, I have refused to swing against the tide because my people, the ones that will bury me when I die, have asked me not to swing against the tide.
“To me, the moment the interest of the people is not factored in any political decision I make, nothing else makes meaning.
“Anyone conversant with my political trajectory would readily identify what defines my choice of political association.
“I particularly get enamored with any and every engagement that has a promise of deploying party, power and government to serve people conscientiously and with the fear of God.”