APGA offers lawmakers about to defect to APC N100m to stop them

Consequent upon the gale of defections that had hit the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), the party leadership has offered some lawmakers in Anambra State about to defect one hundred million Naira each in a bid to stop the defection, ElombahNews has been informed.

Recall that ElombahNews reported on September 1 that the six Members of the Anambra State House of Assembly that, on Tuesday, that decamped from APGA to APC were “bought” with N25 million each.

Six Members of the Anambra State House of Assembly had, on August 31, dumped the party for the ruling APC.

ElombahNews gathered that, in all, twelve House of Assembly Members will make the move to APC as six others are set to join.

The defected House members were Hon Cater Dike Umeh, Hon Smart Nonso Okafor, Hon Lawrence Ezeudu, Hon Tim Ifediora, Hon Arthur Chiekwu, Hon Edward Ibuzo.

The defection followed a secret meeting held in Abuja with APC leaders from the state where terms and conditions were negotiated.

However, in a counter-attack, APGA is offering the lawmakers about to defect N100 million to stop the defection as the November 6 governorship election approaches.

In an update on the crisis in Anambra House of Assembly, our correspondent gathered that the APGA House of Assembly members held a meeting Thursday evening with the state governor, Willie Obiano.

In the meeting, they were promised 100 million naira each for them not to join those who have defected to APC.

Five of the House Members present at that meeting had, however, told the governor that they have made up their minds to defect and that no amount of money can stop them.

According to them, they merely attended the meeting just for formalities sake.

The defection of another six APGA House members will signal the beginning of the impeachment process of both the Speaker and the governor.

It was also learnt that the six House of Assembly Members elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) are holding a secret meeting with some APC leaders at Enugu.

The PDP House members are under pressure to decamp to APC in order for the party to have the majority to impeach the governor before the November 6 governorship election.

A source privy to the meeting said that five of the six PDP House members said they should be given enough time for consultation while one of them has already given out.

The PDP House member who allegedly sold out was said to have collected his own N25 million share of the money and will soon decamp to APC.

However, while all these are going on, the Speaker, Rt. Hon. Uchenna Okafor, who is in London where he travelled for vacation has cut short his vacation and is expected to return to the country on Friday.

Barring any possible change of mind, his impeachment is already considered a done deal as he will reportedly be removed on September 21 for a new Speaker to come in and do the last damage.

Our correspondent, meanwhile, reported that the Speaker has been making frantic calls to his colleagues and is also reportedly considering to decamp with the majority if he fails to stop them.

Besides the serving APGA House Members, other former House of Assembly Members and former House of Representatives Members from APGA also held a separate meeting with APC in a bid to also possibly jump ship.