A prominent member of the All Progressives Congress, Offor Okorie, has expressed displeasure at the recent defection of Chinedum Orji, the immediate past Speaker of the Abia State House of Assembly, and other party loyalists.

According to a report, former Speaker of the Abia State House of Assembly Chinedum Orji joined the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC) on Tuesday, 7 May 2024. Kingsley Ononogbu, the State Chairman of the Party in Abia, issued him the APC membership card.

Note that on Monday, 6 May 2024 Enyinnaya, the son of former Abia State Governor Theodore Orji, announced his resignation from the Peoples Democratic Party, citing disagreements with some policies as the reason for his decision.

On Wednesday, 8 May 2024, Okorie responded to the defection of PDP members into the Progressive Party and described this as an energizer that will fortify the party for the upcoming elections. However, he also issued a stern reminder to the decampees, emphasizing that the APC is a national party guided by the constitution and has strict procedures for defection and registration.

The Abia APC’s State Publicity Secretary made reference to the recent defection of Former Speaker Okorie, saying, “All registration is done at the ward level according to the party constitution, and not on someone’s table.” It is not permissible to visit someone’s workplace, complete an application, get a broom, and then dance to your home with your supporters while claiming to be an APC member.

The actions of Chinedum Orji, which have been shared on social media, are deemed unlawful and unconstitutional, despite his previous role as Speaker. “Not even the Party’s National officers from Abia State and important stakeholders know about his defection. Some called me to ask if it was true after seeing it on social media. Even if we embrace PDP defectors, their admission to the party should follow the constitution.”

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