* I’m not looking for a job — Ex-Senate President
By Chesa Chesa
President Bola Tinubu on Wednesday at the Aso Rock Villa, Abuja formally received into the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) former Sente President and former Board of Trustees member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Anyim Pius Anyim.
Anyim, also a former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, was accompanied to the Villa for the formal reception by Southeast Governors Forum, Hope Uzodimma of Imo State, and Governor Francis Nwifuru of Ebonyi State, where Anyim hails from.
Explaining his decision to quit the PDP, Anyim said that given the challenges the country is facing, stressing that “can you look back at the history of PDP and tell me how many leaders PDP has produced that had joined APC or another party at any particular point in time, it’s common. But importantly, I have a determination to be sure that the country moves on the right path and I should be available to contribute my quota.
“Contributing quota does not necessarily mean to work, but to engender a conducive atmosphere for progress. I’m not looking for work, but there is need that given the challenges the country is facing today that we all need to put all the hands on deck to make the country move forward.”
Asked why defecting to APC out of other options, the former President of the Senate said: “Certainly, the country is passing through turbulent times and it is the duty of every patriot, if you have nothing to add, ensure that you contribute to the peaceful atmosphere that will engender progress in the country.”
Uzodinma chipped in to describe Anyim as a big fish and his decampment a big plus for the ruling party and that the party was already ripping the benefit of his decampment.
He said: “We have started harvesting from it. If you recall, only few days ago, there was local government election in Ebonyi state. And in that election, it was like a one party movement. The entire local governments and councils were won by all progressive Congress. The party that used to be the strong opposition party, PDP, were not anywhere to be seen. And majority of the leaders already decamp to APC and they voted one way.
“So in the same manner, because democracies is about the people, when the people are now unanimously agreeing that government is doing well, and a political party is doing well, and they’re all collapsing into that political party, what is the remaining is to address the campaign of calumny, arising from the propaganda of the opposition, which most of us here are used to.”
On his part, Nwifuru said, “I’m very excited, and it’s a thing of joy to me that every big fish in my state, especially that of our nation, Ayim Pius Ayim, and so many other distinguished leaders have decided to join our party, the All Progressive Congress. And it is part of the benefits, the dividends of democracy.
“We’ve been able to do well according to our own understanding and base on our own best judgment. And that is what is engineering a lot of them to join APC. Like what Mr. President has done in so many areas. Somebody like Pius, he’s not a pushover. He’s not somebody that you can say because of money he is joining APC, or that he is hungry or that he’s looking for a job like he said.
“So it’s based on the disposition of Mr. President, as a leader of the party in our great nation, Nigeria, and the disposition of the Governor as a leader of the party in the State and our own Governor General in Southeast, the leader of the Southeast Governors Forum, Senator Hope, and that is what’s that makes a lot of them to join APC.”
