By CHARLES IWUOHA

The leadership Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Abia State has dismissed rumours making the ground that the former Speakers of the State House of Assembly who visited Governor Alex Otti on Friday, were contemplating to defect to the ruling Labour Party (LP).

Members of the Conference of Former Speakers of Abia State House of Assembly had on Friday visited Governor Alex Otti where they endorsed his performances so far in office.

The former Speakers, including the immediate past Deputy Governor, Ude Oko Chukwu, and two other former Speakers of the PDP extraction, during their visit, pledged to support Governor Otti even as they accompanied him to inspect some ongoing road projects in Aba.

The visit had thrown up speculations in the state that their visit could be part of steps ahead of their defection to the Labour Party.

But dispelling the rumours through a press statement on Sunday, the PDP Vice Chairman and Acting Publicity Secretary, Abraham Amah, said there was no iota of truth that the members of the PDP who were part of the visit were planning to defect to the Labour Party.

The PDP also dismissed the suggestions that it was no longer intact in Abia State because of the visit of the former Speakers, declaring that such speculations were laughable and peddled by those who are jittery of PDP opposition roles in Abia.

“The Abia PDP wishes to clear the air on the visit and set the records straight to disappoint those who wish to see it dismembered. The Conference of Former Speakers of Abia State House of Assembly is a non-partisan organisation made up of eight members.

“Of the eight members, five belong to the PDP while three are of the APC and two of the PDP members, Rt. Hon. Dr. Alwell Asiforo Okere and Rt. Hon. Engr. Chinedum Enyinnaya Orji did not embark on the said visit.

“We State, in very clear terms, that the PDP members who went to visit the Governor and the statements credited to them were made in their personal capacities and do not represent the views of the PDP.

“The Abia PDP duly recognises their rights to freedom of association as guaranteed by the different declarations on human rights at the international, national and local levels”, said Abia PDP.

Abraham Amah said the Conference which includes members of the APC made a similar visit to a PDP Governor a few weeks ago.

Reassuring members of the opposition party and their followers that the PDP is “intact and unshakable” saying that some people who made unsuccessful attempts to pull down PDP in the past are behind the current speculation.