Former Governor of Anambra State, Chinwoke Mbadinuju,Dumps PDP for APC

L-R: A former Minister of Information and Culture, Mr. Tony Momoh; a former Governor of Anambra State, Mr. Chinwoke Mbadinuju; and a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress, Chief Ogbonnaya Onu, during the defection of Mbadinuju from the Peoples Democratic Party to APC, in Abuja…on Monday | credits: Olatunji Obasa

A former Governor of Anambra State, Chinwoke Mbadinuju, on Monday renounced his membership of the Peoples Democratic Party to join the All Progressives Congress.

Mbadinuju, who served as the state governor from 1999 to 2003, cited injustice and “the use and dump mantra” of the PDP as the reason for his decision. He said this during a press conference in Abuja.

Punch reports that the former PDP chieftain could barely hide his frustration over the shoddy treatment he and his supporters were subjected to by the President Goodluck Jonathan-led PDP, when he declared support for the APC and its Presidential candidate, Maj. Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (retd.).

He revealed that in the six years that Jonathan has been in power as President, he had written 10 memos on issue of vital issues of governance, but not once did the President give him an opportunity to see him nor did the President respond to any of the memos.

Mbadinuju recalled that he remained in the party and took it upon himself to call the attention of the leadership to the many lapses within the PDP which was leading the party to self-destruct “but no one, not even the President took him seriously.”

Mbadinuju expressed confidence that Nigeria would fare better under an APC administration, with Buhari at the helm of affairs.

Mbadiniju said:

“However, the PDP and the government it formed, especially at the national level, took no recognition of both my person and my status. The party behaved as if it never wronged me nor wronged the vast population of Anambranians whose lives I have touched while superintending the state as governor. 

Together with our supporters, we were ignored and the government at the centre operated and still operates as if the PDP members have never existed in Anambra State. Whosoever the government patronised turned out to be dishonest or be turned into a mediocre; thus making dishonesty and mediocrity take the centre-stage of government and politics in the country. 

We painfully endured it for long, hoping that with leadership change, things would also change. But from Obasanjo to Yar’Adua, and to Jonathan, nothing changed; if anything, the situation kept getting worse and worse.”

The former PDP chieftain said corruption, greed and avarice have taken the centre stage while the majority of Nigerians continue to wallow in poverty with several going to bed hungry without hope of where the next meal with come from.

With the words, “I give total support to all the APC candidates in Anambra State and across the entire country,” Mbadinuju declared his loyalty to the APC.”