The Minister of Labour and Employment in the President Muhammadu Buhari administration, Senator Chris Ngige was absent on Saturday as the All Progressives Congress in Anambra State welcomed the serving Senator representing Anambra South Senatorial District in the National Assembly, Senator Ifeanyi Ubah and his former colleague, Senator Uche Ekwunife who represented Anambra Central in the Senate.
Dr Ngige who was a two-term minister and one-term Senator on the platform of the party and its defunct component, the Action Congress of Nigeria and as well was the former Governor of the state is seen in many quarters as a critical stakeholder of the party in the state, but his absence shows all is not well in zion.
It was obvious that the former minister shunned the gathering after the State Chairman of the party, Chief Basil Ejidike called on him, Chief George Muoghalu, the immediate past managing director of National Inland Waterways Authority and some others to join other members of the party to move the party forward in the state, asking them to “forgive and count everything that has happened as in the past”.
Meanwhile, Senators Ubah and Ekwunife led thousands of their supporters to switch tents from their former parties to the ruling party.
Senator Ubah was elected into the National Assembly on the platform of Young Progressives Party, YPP in 2019 and 2023 general elections but announced he was cross carpeting into the APC in October.
On the other hand, Senator Ekwunife was elected into the National Assembly in 2019 on the platform of the People’s Democratic Party, PDP and contested the 2023 general elections on the same party. She was, however, defeated in the elections by Senator Victor Umeh of the Labour Party.
Nevertheless, this is not her first time in the APC as she had on several occasions joined and left the party in the past.
The event was massively attended by the bigwigs of the party in the state.