The wind of change blowing across the country yesterday in Otukpo swept former Katsina State Military Administrator, General Lawrence Onoja, rtd, Dr Mathias Oyigeya, former Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, governorship aspirant in Benue State, and other chieftains of the party into the All Progressives Congress, APC.
The event took place at the playground of Jesus College, Otukpo.
Others swept along included Chief Agbo Oga, former Chief of Staff to Senate President David Mark, Chief Mike Iduma, and Major Lawrence Ugbo, rtd, former PDP state chairmen, and Barrister Peter Ochijele, a former member of the Benue State Executive Council.
Chief John Ochoga, former Chairman of the Local Government Service Commission, Mr Mike Inalegwu and Mrs Theresa Ikwue, former Agatu and Okpokwu chairmen, as well as Chief Inalegwu Ode, former Chief Press Secretary to the governor also dumped the PDP for the APC.
General Onoja explained that the President-elect, General Muhammadu Buhari was his senior at a military institution in the United Kingdom and that having also served as Military Administrator of his home Katsina State, military tradition required that he lined up behind the new President.
He said he also decided to end what he described as his political sabbatical in order to collaborate with other progressives to emancipate people of the Benue South senatorial district from the grip of people with tendencies similar to Yoweri Museveni and Robert Mugabe.
He assured that the Buhari-led government would not disappoint Nigerians and urged the people of the district to deliver block winning votes to the APC in Saturday’s governorship and state assembly elections.
Chief Iduma stated that they took the decision in order to deepen democracy, join the battle against corruption which he said had brought underdevelopment to the country as well as to support the election of Chief Dr Samuel Ortom and his running mate, Engr Benson Abounu at the polls.
Other speakers said no individual was influential or strong enough to stop the wind of change whose time they said had come even as they said they left the PDP in order to keep the tradition of the people of the area who do not play opposition politics.
Welcoming the new members, APC leader in Benue State and Senator representing the Benue North West senatorial district, Senator Dr George Akume, said they took the right decision to leave what she described as a sinking sheep.
Senator Akume, represented by his wife, Chief Regina Akume, nicknamed Professor Attahiru Jega, chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, as Tyorumun and Tyoember Jega Tiv names signifying that the people had accepted him and he had made them happy.