A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Efe Onfobruku, has defended the recent defections from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the Labour Party (LP) to the APC, describing them as the right decision.
Onfobruku, a former governorship aspirant in Delta State under the PDP, criticized both the PDP and LP, calling them the most disorganized political parties in Nigeria.
In an interview with News Central on Thursday, Onfobruku expressed his belief that the Labour Party is in disarray, pointing out the ongoing leadership dispute between the Julius Abure-led faction and the Nenadi Usman-led faction. He questioned the legitimacy of the LP’s legal actions, asking, “Which of the Labour Parties is going to court? Is it the Abure-led Labour Party or the Usman-led faction?” He added that the internal division makes any court actions futile, as the party is not unified.
Onfobruku also took aim at his former party, PDP, describing it as “completely scattered” and “dead on arrival.” He explained that the party is torn apart by competing interest groups, making it impossible for it to function effectively. Reflecting on his own decision to leave the PDP, Onfobruku likened the experience to escaping from Egypt, saying, “For those of us who used to be in the PDP, who are today in the APC, we see PDP as our Egypt. I personally left Egypt two years ago. And many more are still living in Egypt.”
Commenting on the recent defection of House of Representatives member Erhiatake Ibori-Suenu from the PDP to the APC, Onfobruku argued that the PDP no longer has any genuine presence in the Ethiope federal constituency. According to him, only local government chairmen and councilors in the area still maintain loyalty to the PDP, while everyone else has aligned with the APC. “At the moment, in Ethiope federal constituency, anybody who calls themselves a PDP member… is just a pretender. There is no PDP in Ethiope federal constituency anymore,” he stated.
Onfobruku further emphasized that the APC is becoming the dominant force in the region, with the party’s influence expanding ahead of the next election. He framed recent defections, including the one on Tuesday, as just the beginning of a larger shift, saying, “What we did on Tuesday was just a tip of the iceberg of many more to come. We are making our platform available, and you will see the outcome by the next election.”
His remarks reflect the APC’s growing confidence in the Delta region and underscore the party’s attempts to capitalize on divisions within the opposition parties.
