Governor Hope Uzodinma of Imo State has said that his party, the All Progressives Congress (APC) is a vehicle that would take the state faster to her desired destination.
The governor, who made the statement while receiving the eight members of the Peoples Democratic Party who defected to the APC, reiterated that political party is a vehicle to get to a particular destination.
He added that his mission was to make Imo a gateway of APC to the South East states.
He said: “We will do our best to strengthen the party and take the message of this party to our neighbouring states. By so doing, we would have completely re-integrated South East into the national polity.
“As political leaders, we have a responsibility to go out to ensure that what belongs to our people from the national table comes to our people.”
The governor assured members of the State House of Assembly that he would collaborate with them to see that all the arms of the government work in unison for the progress of the state.
Uzodinma, who assured the legislature of his support and cooperation, added, “I assure you that I will do my best not to disappoint you, I will not betray the confidence, I will work hard to justify this trust you have exhibited.
“Working together, I’m sure that our people will be better for it”.
He assured the defectors that they will be treated as equals in the House, noting that most of them were founding members of the party who left recently as a result of the crisis that rocked the party in the state before the general elections.
While commending the speaker, Hon. Chiji Collins for placing trust in him and towing the path of progress, the governor expressed happiness that he can now “beat his chest boldly and courageously that Imo is an APC state.”
Responding, on behalf of the 19 APC Lawmakers, the Speaker of the Imo State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Chiji Collins thanked the governor for his open-mindedness, promising that the 9th Assembly will always complement the efforts of the executive for the overall interest of the state.
It will be recalled that earlier at plenary in Imo State Assembly, eight PDP members including the Speaker defected to the ruling party APC thus enabling it to control the House leadership.