No fewer than 700 members of the All Progressive Congress (APC) Wednesday defected to the People’s Democratic Party in Ovia North East Local Government Area of Edo State.

The defectors who were from various communities in Ovia North East were led by a leader of APC in the locality, Friday Ighodaro.

Other APC leaders that defected with their supporters were Stephen Osagie, Ifeanyi Okolie, Iredia Samuel and Peter Igbinedion.

Friday said they left the APC because ‘it is a one-party.’

Osagie on his part said the APC supporters from his Ulakpa community decided to quit the APC because the road leading to their community was graded by the lawmaker representing Ovia Federal Constituency, Barr. Omosede Igbinedion.

The former APC members announced their defection at a campaign rally of the PDP held at Okada, hometown of Chief Gabriel Igbinedion, the Esama of Benin Kingdom.

Barr. Omosede in her remarks said it was her father, Chief Igbinedion that turned Okada village into a town and the Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu will turn it into a city.

Omosede told her kinsmen that the APC stopped some of her pet projects including rural electrification and road project at Okun community.

She urged the people to show the ‘short man’ that he failed them through the ballot papers.

Seven PDP members in the House of Representatives stormed the campaign rally to drum support for Pastor Ize-Iyamu.

They included Minority Leader, Leo Ogor, Hon Uzoma Abumka, Hon Ladi Adekoto, Hon Sambo Garuba, Hon Oghene Ego and Hon Tunji Soyinka.

Ogor urged the people to use their vote to send what he termed negative government  out of the system.

State Chairman of the PDP, Chief Dan Orbih, accused Governor Oshiomhole of spending N90m monthly to maintain water fountain at the Oba Ovoranmwen Square in Benin City at a time residence lacked water to drink.

Pastor Ize-Iyamu told the people that contents of his ‘Simple’ agenda document was his convenant with the people of the state.

Ize-Iyamu said Oshiomhole was behaving as if he was pursuing a third term agenda.

His words, “I feel sad when I hear Oshiomhole insults people like Chief Igbinedion when it was Chief Igbinedion that helped him to power.

“He should have tell the people what he did in the past eight years  he he resorted to insulting elders.”

Ize-Iyamu promised to improve the people lives as well as partner with businesses to develop the state.