Even though there are speculations that the reason former Minister of State for Works under President Goodluck Jonathan, Chris Ogiemwonyi, is leaving the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the All Progressives Congress (APC) is for him to have it easy contesting for the governorship election in Edo State in 2016 when Governor Adams Oshiomhole’s successor would emerge, the former Minister has maintained that his decision is hinged on the need to join forces with Oshiomhole who he described as successful.
Speaking with journalists on Thursday in Benin, Edo State, the ex-minister and former husband to former Minister of Aviation, Stella Oduah, said the performance of the APC in the state and the way the governor handled leadership and transformed Edo State were his major reasons for deciding to move over to the APC.
He made the move with his supporter at an event at Urokpota Hall at the centre of Benin and is expected to be received by the National Chairman of the APC, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, Governor Oshiomhole, Muhammadu Buhari, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu and others.
According to Ogiemwonyi, the PDP in the state spent its 10 years wreaking havoc on the state and leading it backward from development.
He said Oshiomhole has demystified true governance.
To him, “PDP was in Edo for 10 years and APC is here now for six years, the boy in University of Benin or Ekpoma will compare when PDP was here and what they are seeing today.
“We are no more fools; nobody can come here and talk about using federal might to rig. The people of Edo State will decide.
“You are not coming to force anything on our throat, time has passed when one man will decide who becomes who in Edo state, Edo people are not fools.
“We are all giving support to Oshiomhole because of what he is doing in the state, our people can see the difference.
“Look at our roads with six lanes. Look at the Benin Water storm project, today flood no longer sacks our people. If not for the bad state Oshiomhole met this state, we would have been comparing Edo to Lagos. Edo people will vote APC come 2015 and 2016, no doubt about that.
“What I can see is that Nigerians are no longer people you go and give rice to deceive them at the even of an election, giving them fake promises, we have since passed that stage.”
He said Nigerians urgently needed effective leadership, one that would stop oil theft, corruption, improve the country’s power sector and solve the country’s insecurity problems.
