Former House of Representatives member, Chief Ossai Ossai, has officially defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC), citing his commitment to supporting President Bola Tinubu’s vision for Nigeria.
Ossai was received into the ruling party on Wednesday in Abuja by APC National Secretary, Sen. Ajibola Bashiru. Speaking at the event, he expressed confidence that his move, along with the defection of other influential figures like Senator Ned Nwoko, would significantly weaken the PDP’s hold in Delta State.
The former lawmaker, who previously represented Ndokwa East in the House of Representatives, described President Tinubu as his political mentor and a “grand master of politics,” recalling their early association during the Social Democratic Party (SDP) era in Lagos. He emphasized that he could only align with a party whose policies matched his political ideology, declaring his readiness to collaborate with Tinubu and the APC for national development.
“I have come to join the political grand master whom I have followed over the years as a role model to add to whatever he is doing to better this nation,” Ossai stated.
Addressing speculations of internal divisions within the APC in Delta, Ossai dismissed such claims, explaining that while caucuses exist within the party, they do not indicate disunity. He vowed to work toward uniting party members to strengthen the APC’s chances in the 2027 elections.
“Tinubu is shaping the direction of the country, and I want to join him in doing that. I have left the PDP, it is behind me now. I am for Nigeria, not for political parties. I have come to join the APC to build the country in the interest of all,” he added.
Ossai, who served three terms as a PDP lawmaker, criticized the party’s structure, stating that it had deteriorated over time. He confirmed his full integration into the APC, having received his membership card and participated in APC senatorial meetings.
He also pledged loyalty to the party’s rules and constitution and expressed his commitment to championing the Renewed Hope Agenda in Delta, with a particular focus on the agricultural sector, which he identified as a key area benefiting Nigerians under President Tinubu’s administration.
Welcoming Ossai to the APC, the party’s National Secretary congratulated him on his decision and took a swipe at the PDP, attributing its internal crises to conflicting ambitions and a lack of coordination. He added that Nigerians could not trust a party that struggles to manage its own affairs to effectively govern the country.
