By Nkechinyere Ewa
Two members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ebonyi State, Jimoh Abu and Anthony Awaza, have denied defecting to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), alleging that they were forced at gunpoint to declare support for the ruling party.
The duo made the denial at a press conference in Abakaliki on Thursday, insisting that they remained members of the PDP and supporters of its governorship candidate, Chief Ifeanyi Chukwuma Odii, popularly known as Anyichuks.
Abu and Awaza alleged that state government officials, accompanied by operatives of the state vigilante group, stormed Jimoh Guest House in the Hausa Quarters of Abakaliki, where lodgers, staff and other customers were allegedly abducted.
They claimed that the incident was part of a move to compel Abu to announce his defection from the PDP to the APC.
Abu, however, said the alleged pressure would not change his political affiliation, reaffirming his loyalty to the PDP and its governorship candidate.
“Despite the threats of the government, I remain a member of the PDP and a supporter of Chief Ifeanyi Chukwuma Odii, the governorship candidate of the PDP, because we believe he is prepared and ready to give Ebonyi a facelift in development,” he said.
Awaza, on his part, said his relationship with Odii was built on personal support and assistance he had received from the PDP chieftain, particularly during a period of ill health.
“I don’t even have a reason not to support Anyichuks, a man who has cared for me when no one did. I had health challenges, and it was Anyichuks that sent me N3 million to pay my medical bills at the Niger Foundation Hospital, Enugu,” he said.
He further alleged that he was forced at gunpoint to declare his defection to the APC, insisting that the declaration did not reflect his political position.
“What happened was that I was forced at gunpoint to say that I joined APC, but everyone knows that I cannot leave PDP, because even the house I live in now was built by Chief Ifeanyi Chukwuma Odii,” Awaza said.
The allegations by the two PDP members raise fresh concerns over political tensions in Ebonyi State and the freedom of political association ahead of future electoral contests.
However, the allegations could not be independently verified at the time of filing this report, and no response from the state government was provided in the information available.