By CHARLES IWUOHA

A member of Ebonyi State House of Assembly, Hon. Chris Usulor, has disclosed that the 23 members of the hallowed chamber, including the Speaker, still belong to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

The lawmaker, who represents Ezza South Constituency in Ebonyi State House of Assembly, insisted that the house till today controlled by PDP.

He dismissed rumours making the rounds that majority of the State House of Assembly members had claimed to have defected with Governor David Umahi to the All Progressives Congress (APC).

The third term lawmaker challenged such claims, adding that no member of the house had defected to APC with the governor officially on the floor.

He said: “This is my third time in the house. Even elsewhere if you are joining another party, you do it officially at the floor of the house. I challenge those claiming to be members of APC to do the needful openly.

“I am of the PDP and I shall remain in PDP. Any other person has his freedom of association to join or have sympathy for another political party.

“I don’t think anything is playing out in the house. Rather from the media, we read a lot of things. And what is on ground is quite different from what we read.

“Definitely when there is a detection by the chief executive, it is a high defection and there will be a lot of power play and in tricks politically. That’s what is playing out and little time, it will fizzle out and everybody will face his or her party.

“From my little knowledge, PDP is still in the majority in the house of Assembly. Formerly nobody has defected to APC at the floor of the house, and so, we are all in PDP for now.”

Usulor, however, debunked the rumour making the round in the state, that the house members are divided ahead of the 2023 polls.

“In Ebonyi State House of Assembly, I don’t think there is in house division. We are still one in the house of Assembly irrespective of the inclination politically,” he stressed.

Usulor in a related development urged Governor Umahi to ensure that the citizens of the state are provided with adequate dividends of democracy in 2021.

“All we want is that there should be dividends of democracy for all Ebonyians and the 2021 budget should be what Ebonyians want and what will give them good governance,” he noted.

He lauded Governor DUmahi for his giant strides in the state since 2015.

“The governor has performed very well in terms of infrastructure, indeed, I give it to him,” he added.

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