Ebonyi Ex-Guber Aspirant Dumps PDP For YPP

--Unveils Deputy By Nwogha Ndubuisi, Abakaliki

Ebonyi State Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Governorship candidate in the recently concluded primaries Dr Sunday Opoke has defected from the party and joined the Young Progressives Party as Guber candidate.

Opoke made the official defection at the party Secretariat in Abakaliki on Tuesday. Speaking during the event, the former governorship aspirant under the platform of PDP noted that his decision to join the new party was based on the yearning of young people of the state who asked him to represent them in a party that has interest of young Nigeria citizens at heart.

He explained that his administration would introduce technology transfer, there by, young citizens of the state would be engaged in skill acquisition in various countries of the world into modern technology. The governorship candidate hinted that the state with richest arable land in the region would be utilized for the benefit of the people who are majorly farmers. He lamented over the neglect of the state civil service which according to him, the previous administrations have no interest for its reform and assured the people of making utmost priority to reform the system when assumed office. He pledged to introduce 'learning and earning' policy to ensure undergraduates are made to earn some income while still in school if succeeded in the upcoming general election.

He further emphasized that his administration would industrialize the state, hence, introduce night life as to boost the state economy. "From the day this state was created, there was no plan for the youths and the graduates and that's why various past administrations have always announce employment opportunity few months to their completion of office and when the new person comes in will sack them. "We are going to change the narrative, from 1999 till now, our government has not been fair, else, why should our youths after graduation will be roaming over the street. "My interest is to offer service to the people. We want to be old but it is necessary we make our young people productive, else, we'll have wasted old men. he said

He added, "Everybody who has attained 70-year old must have something to sustain him and that's what my government has come to do. "What we'll do is any industry that's not into production will not be accepted as our partner, we are going to borrow Obi's campaign from consumption to production state, as we are the most blessed state in Nigeria with our natural resources.

Earlier the state party chairman, Deacon Oyibe Stanley, commended the Guber aspirant for taking the bold step by hearkening on the yearning of the people and assured supporters of delivering the state to the party come 2023 election. Meanwhile, the governorship candidate unveiled Mr Ogbonna Sunday as his deputy.