A member of the House of Representatives, Ikenga Imo Ugochinyere, has officially defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the Action Peoples Party (APP), citing internal crisis and alleging that the party has been severely weakened under the influence of Nyesom Wike.
Ugochinyere, who represents Ideato North/South Federal Constituency, made the announcement in a strongly worded statement, declaring that “nobody is proud of what Wike has done to the PDP,” accusing the former Rivers State governor of systematically dismantling the party’s structure and unity.
The lawmaker said his decision to leave the PDP followed months of internal turmoil, which he described as a direct threat to his political survival and the interests of his constituents. According to him, remaining in the party was no longer tenable amid what he termed “anti-democratic forces” and persistent internal sabotage.
Ugochinyere, who gained national attention after emerging victorious in the 2023 elections while in exile, also used the opportunity to send a direct message to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. He called on the federal government to facilitate the release of Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), insisting that doing so would help address growing tensions in the South-East.
He further argued that his move to the APP was guided by constitutional provisions and backed by legal justification, stressing that the crisis within the PDP provided sufficient grounds for his defection.
