The immediate past governor of Ebonyi, Martin Elechi on Sunday decamped to the All Progressive Congress (APC) from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Elechi, a two-time governor of Ebonyi, registered for the APC at his country home in Echialike, Ikwo Local Government Area, in front of national party leaders.
The party leaders were in Abakaliki, the Ebonyi capital, for a thanksgiving church service for the recovery of President Muhammadu Buhari from his ill-health, after which they moved to Ikwo.
According to Elechi, he decided to join APC due to his love for Buhari and the current state of the PDP occasioned by its protracted crisis.
“I knew Buhari 49 years ago when I started the movement for the creation of Ebonyi as he intervened during my arrest with nine other comrades, by officers of the defunct Nigerian Security Organisation (NSO).
“I was interrogated while standing for nine hours and he as the Brigade Major in Abakaliki at that time, ordered our immediate release.
“I thank God for his health as he had favoured the people of Abakaliki and will triumph in his onerous task of rescuing the country from misrule.
“He is the person Nigerians are waiting for as the Boko Haram and corruption issues could have been indescribable if God had not brought him to power,” he said.
Although Elechi said he is proud of PDP because of the democratic ideals of its founding fathers, he regretted that present leaders of the party have derailed from this ideals.