By Damian Duruiheoma The Nation
Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Chief Uche Nnaji, has led a high-powered delegation of All Progressives Congress (APC) leaders in Enugu State to welcome over 5,000 new members into the party.
The mass defection took place during a rally held in Aku town, Igbo-Etiti Local Government Area.
Nnaji was joined by the state APC chairman, Chief Ugochukwu Agballah; House of Representatives member for Udi-Ezeagu federal constituency, Hon. Sunday Umeha; Director General of the Raw Materials Research and Development Council, Prof. Nnanyelugo Ike Muonso; and other key party figures.
Addressing the crowd, the minister said the growing wave of defections to the APC was a sign that residents were beginning to appreciate the developmental projects of President Bola Tinubu鈥檚 administration in the state.
He, however, criticized the Enugu State government under Governor Peter Mbah for what he described as the misapplication of resources and imposition of high taxes, which he claimed had deepened economic hardship for residents.
He said, 鈥淭oday in Enugu, we are facing a major economic quagmire, today in Enugu we are number two from bottom as the most expensive city in Nigeria. Enugu is a civil service town but still we are the second most expensive city in Nigeria.
鈥淲hat is the problem? It鈥檚 because of the type of tax the government has imposed on our people. A hawker, small girls selling ordinary sachet water, pays between N300 and N500 every day. If you calculate it, he or she is paying over N100, 000 a year.
鈥淚f that money is being properly utilized, our teeming young men, the youths and women will have free education, they will have good health facilities for our children and they will have good infrastructure for the state. Today we don鈥檛 have all these because our taxes are not being applied where it should be applied.鈥
While commending Engr Celestine Attah, a former House of Assembly candidate under the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) for leading members of APGA, Labour Party (LP) and the Peoples Democratic (PDP) in the local government into APC, Chief Nnaji promised more employment for young people from the area and more federal infrastructure in the state.
The minister disclosed that APC in the state has been repositioned to take over the government of Enugu state in 2027 and appealed to the people of Enugu state to support the party as well as the re-election of President Bola Tinubu in order to attract more federal appointments and infrastructure to the state.
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鈥淭he coming election will not be like the previous one because right now we have a party; before we didn鈥檛 have a party, APC before was a mercantile party, a party they used for trading in Enugu state, they used it to trade with PDP. But now all the moles who were trading with the party have been shown the way out.鈥
The state chairman of APC, Chief Agballah expressed gratitude to President Tinubu for the ongoing reconstruction of Ninth Mile 鈥 Opi 鈥 Markudi road which is also being made a dual carriage way, as well as other federal projects in the state.
He said that for many years under the governance of the party(PDP) Igbo-Etiti people supported for 26 years, the entire local government was completely inaccessible due to the complete collapse of road infrastructure into the LGA; not until the coming of the government of Bola Tinubu鈥檚 APC that they never voted for.
The party chairman said the president has given the people of the area two brand new international standard dual carriage express road from Ninth mile to Opi Nsukka and another federal road from same Ninth mile to Makurdi.
He said, 鈥淥ur plan in Enugu, we are very intentional in our politics. APC is a party for serious minded ideological change oriented progressives that want to change the status-quo in Enugu because for 26 years PDP leadership has held our people hostage. Enugu, which used to be the number one state in Southeastern Nigeria, is now coming last.
鈥淚t鈥檚 because of one party system that PDP has been giving us poor governance. So we are going to give Enugu the best, and bring about a creative high performing governance and that鈥檚 why we want competitive democracy in Enugu.鈥
Speaking on behalf of other defectors, Engr. Celestine Attah said he was attracted by President Tinubu鈥檚 decision to appoint Enugu man the Chief of Naval Staff, establishment of Naval College in the state, construction of a Naval base at Uzo-Uwani, appointment of Enugu man as Vice Chancellor of University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN) and the construction of 9th Mile-Opi road.
鈥淲hat is happening today is the foundation of our contribution to making APC win Enugu state and the massive rally is for Mr. President and for APC to take over the government of Enugu state come 2027,鈥 he said.