Jonathan’s close ally defects to APC

Former President Goodluck Jonathan's close friend, Mr. Diekivie
Ikiogha, has dumped the Peoples Democratic Party for the All
Progressives Congress in Bayelsa State.Ikiogha, who is a founding
member of the PDP, crossed over to the APC at an elaborate ceremony
held on Saturday at the Kpansia open field, Yenagoa, the
statecapital.He defected with some other members of the erstwhile
ruling party. Also, members of other political parties, including the
All Progressives Grand Alliance, left with him for the APC.Prominent
members of the PDP that defected with him are Mr. Victor Awala, Mr.
Paul Ajuwa, Mrs. D. Irene, Mr. Prince Abeki, a former commissioner, as
well as over 150 former councillors from 1999 to 2012.Besides, no
fewer than 43 non-governmental organisations, under the aegis New
Bayelsa Initiative, also filed out with Ikiogha, whom they described
as a great grass-roots mobiliser.Ikiogha, a former Bayelsa State Chief
of Staff, said to be a trusted and dependable ally of Governor Seriake
Dickson, is one of the brains behind the emergence of Dickson as
governor in 2012.But indications of a frosty relationship between
Dickson and Ikiogha emerged when the former removed him from office in
controversial circumstances and redeployed him to the state's Abuja
Liaison Office.Ikiogha resigned his appointment in October 2014 to
contest the House of Representatives ticket for the
Yenagoa/Kolokuma/Opokuma Federal Constituency. He, however, did not
get theticket.Addressing the crowd that came to witness his formal
movement to the APC, Ikiogha said he decided to quit the PDP because,
according to him, it is a party fullof betrayals and deceits.He said,
"There is lack of internal democracy and it is a party where the
highest bidders always have their way."The National Chairman of the
party, John Odigie-Oyegun, who was represented by the National
Vice-Chairman, South-South,Mr. Hilliard Eta, performed the formal
reception as he presented a broom, whichis the symbol of the APC, to
Ikiogha.Odigie-Oyegun noted that the Dickson-ledgovernment of Bayelsa
State had receivedover "N440bn from the Federal Government with
nothing to show for it", adding that what was left for Bayelsans was
"to retire Governor Seriake Dickson".He, however, declared that the
occasion was not meant to give Ikiogha a governorship ticket to
contest the forthcoming Bayelsa State governorship election but to
formally welcome him into the party.He added that the process of
electing a governorship flagbearer for the party would be conducted in
a transparent primary election just like the process that produced
Muhammadu Buhari as the party's presidential candidate.