A stalwart of the All Progressives Congress (APC), in Ondo state, Gbogi Emmanuel, has resigned his membership of the party. 

Mr Emmanuel tendered his resignation letter on Saturday, citing that the ruling party under President Bola Tinubu has now become a “weapon of poverty.” 

He explained that the party has made life miserable for the people, stressing that it was evident in the economic hardship in the country. 

“More so, APC is now considered as a weapon of poverty and misery for the masses evident in the economic hardship that plagues the land.

“I hold the firm belief that politics is not only about winning elections, it is about bringing succour and dividends of democracy to the people we represent,” Mr Emmanuel said in the letter. 

In the copy of the letter addressed to the APC Chairman of Ward 6, Akoko South West Local Government, the party chieftain said the ruling party also failed to uphold the true tenets of democracy and disregarded loyalty among members. 

According to Mr Emmanuel, the decision to exit the APC was well thought-out, especially after wide consultations with his family and political associates in Akoko land. 

“My decision stems from failure of the party to continue to uphold the true tenets and principles of democracy which include fairness, equity, impartiality, rewards for loyalty and bringing dividends of democracy to the masses.”

He noted that the party now has a new practice of “rob Peter to pay Paul” and described the primary that produced Lucky Aiyedatiwa, the incumbent governor and governorship candidate of the APC, as “shabby and shoddy.”

Efforts to reach Ade Adetimehin, the chairman of the APC in the state, for his reactions on the telephone did not yield results.

A text message sent to his official line was still pending as of press time. 

Mr Emmanuel’s resignation from the party is coming few days after a chieftain of the party in Lagos, Joe Igbokwe, decried the hardship Nigerians are facing amid the high cost of staple foods in the country. 

Mr Igbokwe, who took to his social media page, lamented how the price of rice and other grains have skyrocketed under the present administration in the country. 

The party chieftain had always been a strong ally of Mr Tinubu and joined his campaign during the presidential election.