Chairman, Conference of Nigerian Political Parties (CNPP), in Akwa Ibom, Mr Linus Udofia, on Tuesday, defected to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Announcing his decision in Ibiaku, headquarters of Uruan ward, Udofia said he took the decision after due consultations with his supporters and members of his family and to make himself relevant in the politics of the state.
He said: “I am coming back to the PDP to contribute my quota to rebuilding the party, particularly in my Northern Uruan Ward 2 of Akwa Ibom State.
“My ward has been neglected for too long because of my being in the opposition. I intend to strengthen the PDP in my ward, make myself relevant and bring development to my people.”
He said that his defection to the PDP was not to cause friction but to contribute his wealth of experience to the growth and development of the party.
Udofia explained that he was a member of the PDP at the inception of the party in the state till 2003 when he left to join the United Nigeria Peoples Party (UNPP).
He said that he won election as counsellor in 2004 on the platform of the UNPP.
In his remark, Mr Effiong Iweh, PDP chairman in Northern Uruan Ward 2, urged Udofia to be loyal to the party.
He said that with his antecedents, Udofia should be in a position to make `meaningful’ contributions to the success of the party in the 2015 general elections.
He assured Udofia that he would not be maginalised, adding that he would enjoy all the rights and privileges accorded to members of the party.
The PDP leader in Uruan ward, Mr Bassey Mbom, who received Udofia back to the party, urged him to be dedicated and committed to the policies and programmes of the party in the state.
He called on other members of the PDP who left the party to have a rethink and return, saying the umbrella of the PDP was big enough to accommodate everybody.
