Mixed reactions trail defect of Senator Effiong to APC

Mixed reactions have greeted the defection of Senator Nelson Asuquo Effiong of Akwa Ibom South Senatorial district to the All Progressives Congress, (APC). Effiong who was elected on the platform of the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, had on Thursday, January, 19, 2017 announced his resignation due to the unresolved crisis in the national leadership of the party. While Akwa Ibom leaders and stakeholders of the PDP have condemned the action, the APC has described it as a welcome development. The APC spokesman Mr. Ita Awak said the development was long over due, expressing the optimism that Effiong’s defection would create a “bandwagon effect” in the state. Asuquo Effiong Awak who spoke during a Radio interview yesterday morning, said,” The stage has been set by Senator Effiong. Other Lawmakers in the PDP at both the national and state level will soon join him” But reacting over the development yesterday the Speaker of Akwa Ibom state House of Assembly, Mr. Onofiok Luke condemned those who used the PDP platform to get to their political positions only to defect afterwards, saying that he would be the last PDP member to defect to any other party particularly the APC. Luke who said this while interacting with representatives of a socio-political group on the platform of Akwa Ibom Political Groups, AKPG led by its Chairman Dr. Andrew Uwanta who paid him a courtesy call at the House of Assembly complex stressed that he would never join the APC because it is only a conglomerate of angry politicians. His words, “I will be the last person to join the APC or any other political party. Their ideology is different from mine. The APC is only a conglomerate of angry politicians. Some of them were in the PDP but today they are the same people that are turning around to say that the PDP is evil. PDP was our party yesterday; it is our party today and our party tomorrow”