It was like a canival of sort as hundreds of APC members from Obio/Akpor, Emohua, Etche and PH City Local Government Areas rejoined the PDP.
The reception for the decampees took place on Tuesday, at the Rumueme Civic Centre, Port Harcourt.
Speaking while receiving the decampees, Governor Nyesom Wike, who was represented by his Deputy, Dr Ipalibo Harry-Banigo urged Nigerians to vote out the APC-led government at the  centre as the party does not have  good intentions for the masses.
Governor Wike described the APC as a group of people who were hungry for power without the intention of making the nation great, noting that all the promises that the PDP-led government in the state made to the people had  been fulfilled.
The State Chief Executive enjoined the people, particularly  women to be ready to vote out the APC-led government which according to him, does not have any good intentions for them.
The Governor, who observed that the APC lacked internal democracy, opined that it is the reason it has been unable to conduct its congress.
“Look at their congress. Something as simple as congress, they could not conduct. See how PDP conducted its congress where everything went smoothly, Jeje, everything relayed live and everybody was happy, but this APC own, confusion, confusion, confusion. How can a party that cannot conduct a simple congress rule a nation”.
We thank God because their deceit has come to an end. Anyone that starts with deceit, one day that deceit must end. Today it has ended”, Governor Wike said.
He expressed delight that the level of development in Rivers State is unparalleled  to the extent that even the blind can notice, saying that it is the same with  other PDP-controlled states.
“Even a blind man will know that development in this state is unparalleled. It is not seen anywhere, and that is how development in all PDP states are.
“They are passionate about their people. They are all grassroots developers”.
He said, the state government is investing in critical infrastructure such as roads, hospitals and schools, in all local government areas across the state, maintaining that the special welfare package and enhanced salary being enjoyed by university lecturers in the state has made them not to join the ongoing  nation-wide ASUU strike.
“You heard that ASUU is on strike, but Rivers State University is not on strike, why because the lecturers are well paid, they are being taken good care of. When we heard that Resident Doctors were on strike nation-wide for almost 2 months or more the ones in Rivers State were working, people were coming from neighbouring states to our state to receive health care.
“That is because we have a government that cares about the people, their education, their health and their infrastructure”.
The governor welcomed the returnees to the PDP and urged the various LGA party chairmen to properly  integrate them into the scheme of things.
He used the occasion to congratule Rivers women on the occasion of the celebration of International  Women’s Day , but regretted that the government in power at the centre has refused to recognise the role of women in nation- building, which explained why the five gender-related bills were rejected by the National Assembly.
Earlier, in his opening remarks, Chairman of the People’s Democratic Party, Ambassador Desmond Akawor, said that the returnees realised that they were deceived to join the APC and had decided to return to the PDP.
“The returnees have one message, they said they strayed into the APC because they were deceived.
They were told all sorts of things.
They were given hope. They were told that it will be one Naira to one Dollar.
They were told that women would be respected, they were told that the children would get better education, they were also told that there is going to be a Deep Sea Port at Bonny before 2023.
“They were equally told that there would be a railway line to Ubima by 2023 and finally they were told that they would get the Presidency in 2023, but they have just confirmed that they were all lies, and they have no other option than to run out of the house and go back to the PDP before it will collapse, which they did not know will collapse few days ago”.

The PDP chairman
while regreting that the government in power at the center had through the legislative arm decided to relegate women to the background and disrespect them, said Nigerian women had taken a decision not to support the APC again.

“The height of the deceit is what has happened today which is known all over the world as Women’s Day. And only one country in the world that has decided that women should be relegated to the background and women should no longer be respected.

“Nigerian women that remembered the Aba women’s riot,  people like Margret Ekpo, and seeing themselves and how they have been relegated today, women have taken a decision in this county that never again will they support APC”.

The State PDP chairman who noted with nolstagic feelings that  Nigerian children are at home today  because people who could not produce  their credentials during  screening are at the helmes of affairs of the country, regretted that they have reneged on all the agreements reached with Asuu, disclosing that River State University was not on strike due to the fact that lecturers at the University are the highest paid among University lecturers in the county.

He disclosed that the State Government has given women their pride of place in the scheme of things , hinting that Rivers State is the only state to have a female Deputy Governor back to back, while the Vice chairmen of the 23 local government councils are women.

He told the returnees that PDP is a party with the largest umbrella which can accommodate every one, assuring them of equal opportunities in the scheme of things.

Ambassador Akawor who congratulated the returnees for their decision, informed that similar receiption would be held in Bori and Ahoada in few weeks time to receive those who are returning to the PDP in those Local government areas.

In their separate speeches, the returnees including the immediate past APC State
Treasurer and former ward 14 leader in Obio/Akpor, Owhor kinikanwo Friday, Sir Lord Nelson Wali, Former APC ward 3 leader, Obio/Akpor, Hon Christopher Obasiolu, former Director -General, Rivers State Water Services Regulatory Commission, Chief Solomon Chukwu, former Chairman, Task Force on Scrap Metal, Rivers State, Hon Princewill Ichemati Tobin, immediate past chairman APC, Port Harcourt  City Local Government Area, Sir Kingdom Nwankwo from Etche among others spoke in unison  that they were  all deceived to join the APC.

In their  solidarity speches, leaders from the four LGAs, including  Frank Owhor of Obio/Akpor, Allwell Onyeso of Etche and Azubuike Mmerukini of Port Harcourt  City Local Government Areas   commended Governor Nyesom Wike for his unprecented level of development across  the state and the decampees for toeing the path of honour.

The event which had the full complement of members of the State Exco of the PDP, including the Deputy chairman, Hon. Chukwuemeka Aaron, State Secretary, Dr. Benibo George, State women leader, Mrs Mariam Ogbonna, State Treasurer, Mrs  Amadi and the State Publicity Secretary, Hon. Tambari Sydney Gbara among others, was also attended by other top Government functionaries, Council chairmen, political heavy weights and featured cultural dances from the various wards and LGAs.