Senator Ifeanyi Ubah (Anambra South) has explained why he dumped the Young Progressives Party (YPP) for the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
He said he took the decision to get the South East into the mainstream of national politics.
Ubah was elected into the Upper Chamber in 2019 under the platform of YPP.
Senate President Godswill Akpabio and the Senate Leader, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele with six other Senators presented the new entrant to the National Chairman of the ruling APC, Abdullahi Umar Ganduje at the party’s National Secretariat.
Addressing the Ganduje-led National Working Committee (NWC), the new entrant said his defection was informed by the need to get the entire Igbo nation into the mainstream of national politics.
Ubah, who was full of praises for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administrative prowess, said he was also impressed with his large heart to integrate the southeast region into his government despite the opposition from the region to his aspiration.
He cited the appointment of Senator Dave Umahi as a frontline Minister despite the poor electoral performance of the zone during the last presidential election.
According to the Chairman of Capital One Oil: “It gladdens my heart to see the calibre of men that are here today to welcome me. We have been on this for long and we consummated this a few weeks ago in the United Kingdom.
“I want to take the message to my people that we have a new Sheriff in Bola Tinubu. I want to be sincere. It has always been difficult for the Igbo nation to get key appointments in the federal government because of our sentiments.
“Seventy per cent of us who are multi-millionaires in the southeast made our money from Lagos. Tinubu can integrate all. It gladdens my heart that Tinubu is rewarding those who didn’t vote for him with Dave Umahi as Minister.
“I consulted widely before joining APC. I left YPP to join APC. It is the same “progress”! It isn’t about talking but about doing. Mr. President, take it from me that I am going to deliver.
“President Tinubu has assured me that he will support me. I want to thank you for this reception that you have given me.”
Receiving Ubah into the ruling party, the APC National Chairman described the former YPP chieftain as an asset to the APC, who will be useful in liberating the southeast and bringing the zone to join mainstream politics.
Ganduje admitted that the cry of marginalization by the southeast was genuine but blamed leaders in the zone for the development.
He noted that the division among the eminent politicians in the region was responsible for the political polarisation, stressing that there was no wisdom in a situation where five states in the zone were shared by four political parties.
“Today is a day that we can’t forget. Since I assumed office, this is the biggest fish the party net has picked. Sometimes it is a shark or whale put together.
“We have introduced some reforms into the party: One, to make it active not only during the election but to widen its membership. It is disturbing that marginalisation is a common concept. When we hear that people are being marginalised, we develop interest. I have met some senior politicians south-southeast the common thing is to complain about marginalisation. The absence of southeast in the Villa is a fact.
“You have five states, three controlled by three different political parties: PDP, APGA, LP. We have 4 parties controlling 5 states and I said, let us discuss this. Is that a sign of wisdom? Now it is the time of Liberation and already we have two states in the southeast. With this juggernaut, this is the answer to liberate the southeast zone of Nigeria. With time, other states will join the APC.”
