Newly inaugurated Abia PDP lawmaker speaks on alleged plan to defect to Labour Party

Aaron Uzodike, the newly inaugurated lawmaker in the Abia State House of Assembly, has spoken on his alleged plans to defect to the ruling Labour Party (LP) in the state.

Delayed inauguration

PREMIUM TIMES earlier reported that Mr Uzodike, a member of the PDP, was sworn in on Tuesday after several months during which Mr Emeruwa refused to inaugurate him.

This newspaper reported how Mr Uzodike contested in the 2023 general election for Abia North State Constituency, but lost to Destiny Nwangwu of the LP.

Mt Uzodike subsequently challenged Mr Nwangwu’s victory at the Court of Appeal in Lagos State, where the court nullified the LP candidate’s election and declared him (Uzodike) the winner.

But for several months, Mr Emeruwa, a member of the ruling LP in the state, refused to inaugurate Mr Uzodike despite the court judgement which declared him elected.

The PDP lawmaker was finally inaugurated on Tuesday following intense pressure from various quarters.

His inauguration comes exactly 14 months after the Assembly was inaugurated on 14 June 2023.

No plan to defect

Meanwhile, shortly after his inauguration, there were speculations that Mr Uzodike was forced to sign an agreement with Abia State Government to defect to the LP afterwards.

But speaking in an interview with PREMIUM TIMES on Thursday, the lawmaker said he had no such agreement with the state government to switch to the LP.

“We didn’t have such an agreement. Also, I don’t have any intention to defect to the Labour Party for now,” he said.

Continuing, Mr Uzodike said: “I don’t see any reason why politicians should be defecting to other parties; they’re all going there for their personal interest, which is to get a ticket to run in an election.

“So, the most important thing for me is to perform well in this one that has been given to me so that if the Labour Party sees me as a performer, they will call me to come and contest an election because people are happy with me.”

The lawmaker said he was currently focused on performing well at the House to benefit his constituents.

“So the time for defection hasn’t come,” he said.

‘My inauguration came as a surprise’

Mr Uzodike explained that his inauguration came as a surprise because he did not receive any notice that he was going to be inaugurated.

“I was just informed hours before the inauguration. There was no meeting whatsoever to decide what will happen. At the appropriate time, God entered the Speaker’s mind and touched him and he invited me.

“On reaching the assembly, he said ‘you’re going to be inaugurated.’ I was even surprised. I thought it was something else that I was invited for,” the lawmaker narrated.