The chances of the Abia State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to return to power in 2027, after losing the governorship sit to the Labour Party (LP) has continued to suffer serious setbacks.
This is as over 100 stanch members of the party at ward, local government and state levels, on Tuesday made public their decision to withdraw their membership of the party in resignation letters submitted to the local, state and national leadership of the party respectively .
The former speaker of the Abia State House of Assembly Rt. Hon. Eyinnaya Orji and Hon. Jerry Uzosike, former Umuahia South State Constituency lawmaker and a 2023 Presidential aspirant, Rt. Hon. Cosmos Ndukwe, including Governor Okezie Ikpeazu’s Chief of Staff, Mr. Anthony Agbazuere and Eze Chikamnayo have all resigned from the party. The former Commissioner for Information and Strategy (under Ikpeazu’s administration), hinted that more PDP members would soon decamp from the party.
Prominent among the recent defectors include the immediate past Speaker Abia State House of Assembly and son to former governor of the state, Rt. Hon. Chinedum Orji who left the party to join the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Rt. Hon. Orji in his resignation letter said “This is to formally notify you of my resignation from Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) with effect from today.
“Kindly note that this decision is taken after extensive consultations.
“I thank the Party for giving me the platform which culminated in my being elected as Speaker of Abia State House of Assembly.”
Rt. Hon. Chinedum Orji represented Umuahia Central State Constituency for two terms 2015 – 2023.
He served as the 11th Speaker of the Abia State House of Assembly from June 10, 2019, till June 10, 2023 when the tenure of the 7th Assembly ended.
Those that joined the ex-Abia Speaker to resign from the PDP include: The PDP Deputy Governorship Candidate in the 2023 general election Dr. Jasper Uche, former Isiala Ngwa South local government chairman, Ikechukwu Anyatonwu, former Abia State House of Assembly Chief Whip, Dr. Ikechukwu Nwabekee, Stanley Okey Ogbonna; former Executive Chairman, Aba North local government area.
Others include former Executive Chairman of Isuikwuato Local Government Area Hon Chima Agbaeze, former National Union Road Transport Workers chairman, Eugene Eze Job, former House of Assembly Majority Leader and member that represented Isuikwuato State Constituency, Hon. Prince Ikedi Ezekwesiri, former Finance Commissioner Dr. Ndukwe Maxwell Adindu, former Majority Leader, Abia state House of Assembly, Hon. Paul Taribo, who represented Ukwa East state consistency in Abia state House of Assembly between 2015 to 2023.
Among others that also resigned from the PDP were the leadership of the party in Item ward C, Umuahia, Urban Ward I, Umuahia Urban Ward III.
Former Abia Speaker, Rt. Hon. Eyinnaya Orji, Others Resign From PDP
