A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in Ondo State, Dr Gabriel Abe, has defected to the New Nigeria People’s Party, NNPP, ahead of Nov. 16 governorship election in the state.
Abe made this known at a news conference in Akure yesterday, citing the party’s people oriented programmes and democratic principles for his decision to defect.
The former APC chieftain, who is a UK-based Nigerian citizen, said he had established the NNPP in the UK.
He said that the party has a political platform that could rescue Ondo state from economic quagmire.
Abe criticised the APC as lacking democratic leadership and transparency, saying that the NNPP was a breath of fresh air in the Nigerian political landscape.
The defector said that he had fully registered at his ward in Akure South Local Government Area of the state
He described the two major parties in the state as groups of oppressors with no understanding of proper governance.
“ My decision to join the NNPP was influenced by my desire to see positive change in Nigerian politics and my commitment to my community in Akure.
“ I commend Sen. Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, the national leader of the NNPP, for his exemplary leadership qualities and achievements in Kano State and Nigeria as a whole”, Abe said.
The former APC chieftain said that he, with a diaspora community of more than 100,000 members in the UK, and his constituents have pledged full support for the NNPP and its candidate in the upcoming election.
Abe said that the security challenges in the state would be contained if the NNPP was given the mandate to govern the state.
“We are ready to give Hon. Olugbenga Edema and his Deputy, Dr Rotimi Adeyemi, all the foreign and local machineries needed to combat insecurity in the state.
“We call on our fellow Nigerians to join the NNPP and rally behind Hon. Olugbenga Edema and Dr Rotimi Adeyemi as the party’s Governorship and Deputy Governorship candidates respectively”, he said.
