On 13 October 2021, when President Muhammadu Buhari presented Nkem Okeke, the deputy governor of Anambra State, with the APC flag at the presidential villa, many were shocked at the sudden defection.
Okeke’s principal, Governor Willie Obiano, was still a member of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA). That the defection happened barely three weeks before the highly anticipated election also cast a shadow over APGA’s ability to win the poll.
Buni, who is the de facto chairman of the party, and Governor Hope Uzodinma, of Imo State, both took credit for the defection, describing it as one of “big fish”. For them, the defection of a serving deputy governor was testament to the rising popularity of the APC in the southeast.
Speaking after the meeting with the president, Uzodinma even claimed that the governor of Anambra State had plans to join the APC soon, because the party’s
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