Politics

Prominent APC Leaders Absent As Ganduje Tasks Leaders On Forgiveness, Reconciliation

Published

1 month ago

April 2, 2024

Editor

All may not be well with the All Progressives Congress, APC, in the South-East, as prominent leaders of the party in the zone declined to attend a stakeholders parley held in Owerri, the capital of Imo State, today, April 2nd.

Absent at the stakeholders’ parley were: former Senate President Ken Nnamani; former Labour Minister, Senator Chris Ngige; 2023 Governorship candidate of APC in Abia, Chief Ikechi Emenike; former Abia State Governor, Senator Orji Uzor Kalu; former Ebonyi State Governor and current Works and Housing Minister, and Senator Dave Umahi. Ebonyi State Governor, Francis Nwifuru was represented by his deputy.

However, ministers from the South-East who attened were the Minister of Science and Technology, Uche Nnaji; Minister of Labour and Productivity, Nkeiru Onyejeocha; and Minister of Women Affairs, Uju Kennedy Ohanenye.

Also at the event were former Imo State Governor, Ikedi Ohakim; Senator Ifeanyi Uba, Senator Ostia Izunaso; the member representing Okigwe South Federal Constituency, Chike Okafor; former governorship candidate in Imo state, Uche Nwosu; five state chairmen of the APC in the South East region among others.

Speaking at the event, National Chairman of the party, Abdullahi Ganduje, called on the members of the party in the South-East to forgive themselves and reconcile in the interest of the APC.

He urged them to join hands with the newly appointed coordinator of the South-East APC, and Governor of Imo State, Senator Hope Uzodimma, to archive a result and make APC a united party in the zone.

Ganduje, who was represented by the Deputy National Chairman, South, Emma Enukwu, said: “We thank God who made this event a success. We are working seriously to continue the success and I want to say this: Hope Uzodimma is a success for the South-East.

“The National Chairman had told me he wanted to congratulate the Imo people for the winning of 27/27 in the last governorship elections and kudos to the people of Imo State. The party will soon start e-registration; the last one we did we registered over 80 million. The e-registration will be biometric. The Chairman of the governors and the coordinator of the South-East, will lead the e-registration exercise.

“The party is working towards making sure that each ward and LGA, has functional offices and that is the usual way to make sure that we are at the grassroots. The most important thing is the reconciliation, we need to join the national grid and the only way to do it is to join the national grid. All we are doing is to make sure that at least the APC produced the President of Nigeria. The chairman has asked me to tell you to reconcile yourselves, forgive yourselves and work together.”

We’re moving round five states to reconcile our members – Uzodimma

Governor Uzodimma, who is the host, said: “What I have seen in this hall made me drop my written speech so that I can talk to my people heart-to-heart and because of the level of attendance. We thank God. This meeting is strategic and symbolic. I commend the President for understanding the precarious situation in the South-East and also the national chairman who understood the South-East is grossly marginalized and he is working to de-marginalize the zone.

“In today’s South-East the setback caused by the civil war should have provoked a new appetite to promote activities of the South-East. Somehow our people have not recovered from the sentiment of the civil war. Given the current situation we must challenge ourselves and leave lamentations and move forward.

“In APC, our task now is to connect to the national grid. The country was formed on a three tripod the Igbo, Hausa and Yoruba, the two legs have decided to move forward and expand and the one leg which is the Igbo is shrinking. We must stop pulling ourselves down. Let us forgive ourselves. And let us support President Bola Tinubu in his policies and programmes. The Federal government has supported the state governments with palliatives.

“We are going round the South-East to reconcile all our members in the five states of the region. I have been given this assignment. I will not allow the South-East to languish because someone somewhere is gossiping.”

Governor of Ebonyi State, Ogbonna Nwifuru, who was represented by his deputy, Patricia Onyemachi, said: “We need brotherhood. We need to put our house together. We need to use our talents, and what we have to move our party and the South-East forward.”

Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu, who was represented by Matins Azubuike, said said the deputy Speaker was happy with the show of solidarity for the South-East to move forward, and “urged us to be patient as the policies of President Tinubu begins to bear fruit. The passage of the South East Development Commission bill is to reposition the South-East. Therefore, let us in the South-East work together for the success of the party. “

Senator Izunaso, who spoke on behalf of over 18 senators and House of Representatives members, who attended the event said: “APC has seven senators, also in the House of Representatives, we have 12 members across the South-East zone. Why we have been able to still talk about the APC was because Hope Uzodimma was supporting them. We thank Uzodimma for making APC strong in Imo State and the five states of the APC.”

On his part, National Vice Chairman of APC, South East zone, Ijeomah Arodiogbu, said: “It is a crucial meeting. After the presidential election, we saw the winning in Imo where we scored 27 over 27, which has given us the bragging rights. We also won at the Ebonyi off-season election. We need structural funding because of the debt we are owing so that we can function well. One of the challenges is that some of our office holders have given appointments to more opposition members. We appeal that our office holders should focus more on the empowerment of our APC members.

“The mantra of our president is renewed hope and the name of our governor, Hope Uzodimma is resounding to the name renewed hope. We know where we are coming from, we have to endure the pains and have hope we are coming out. We will soon come out of it.”
VANGUARD

Politics

JUST IN: Ex-PDP Deputy National Chair, Oyedokun Defects To APC

Published

6 hours ago

May 16, 2024

Editor

A former Deputy National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, Alhaji Shuaib Oyedokun, has resigned his membership of the party and announced defection to the All Progressives Congress.

Oyedokun, a notable personality within the political circle in Osun State and beyond, said he decided to dump the PDP after consultation with his loyalists.

He said he would be joining APC, where his experience, efforts, and leadership roles would be valued and appreciated.

His resignation letter addressed to the National Chairman of the PDP through the ward, local government and state chairmen of the party obtained late Thursday further read, “As a functional member and leader of PDP (Ward 13, Jagun/ Osi-Bale Ode, Odo-Otin South Local Government, Osun State,) whose high electoral productivity and value have been credibly and positively acknowledged in my ward, across the local council, state and country-wide for the enhancement of the fortune of the PDP, I have the honour (though with pain) in announcing the renunciation of my membership of the party on principle, having observed that the ideals of we, founding members, had been sorely contaminated.

“In taking this step which is not even without due consultation with my teaming loyalists in the PDP, I have consequently decided to shift my allegiance to the All Progressives Congress (APC) where I believe my experience, efforts and leadership roles would be valued and appreciated.”

Oyedokun’s defection to the APC is coming at the time the aspirant he supported during the 2022 Osun governorship primary of PDP, Mr Dotun Babayemi is also moving to the national ruling party.

Osun APC said on Wednesday that Babayemi and his supporters would be dumping PDP and joining the party at a rally scheduled to be held in Osogbo on Friday.
PUNCH

Politics

Poll: APC Has No Sellable Candidate, Nothing To Campaign On – Edo Govt

Published

3 days ago

May 13, 2024

Editor

The Edo State Government claimed on Monday that the All Progressives Congress, APC, has no credible candidate for the September 21 governorship election.

This was an assertion made by the Edo State Commissioner for Communication and Orientation, Chris Nehikhare, at a press conference in Benin City.

Nehikhare also alleged that the party is using lies and propaganda as its campaign strategy.

According to him: “The only APC strategy for the governorship election is to resort to lies and propaganda. When a party takes lies and propaganda as an election strategy, it means it has nothing to offer the people. The party lacks people with character, capacity, and intellect.”

The commissioner who took journalists through a screened shot WhatsApp chat said: “What we have here is the official APC WhatsApp platform, their own people screenshot their discussion. One of them who has a conscience asks, is this the only thing we have?”

Nehikhare, who said APC is ashamed to campaign for its candidate, noted that, as of today, nobody had heard of what the party has for the state.

“All we heard is how they are going to help their paymaster, lies and propaganda that will not help the state,” he added.

He opined that lies and propaganda are not strategies the opposition party, like APC, can use to win the September 21 governorship election.

The commissioner, who warned against misinformation and fake news ahead of the governorship election, urged media practitioners to be neutral in matters concerning lies and propaganda.

He, however, noted that Governor Godwin Obaseki’s administration has a lot of achievements to market and sell its candidate for the election.

Politics

Defection: Edo Govt, Ex-PDP BoT Member, Idahosa In Verbal War

Published

3 days ago

May 13, 2024

Editor

Edo State government and a former member of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Board of Trustees, Charles Idahosa, on Monday traded words over the latter defection to the All Progressives Congress, APC.

Recall that Idahosa resigned
formally resigned who had last month resigned from PDP, rejoined the APC on Monday in Benin City.

Speaking during his formal presentation to the APC in Benin City, he noted that he left the party four years ago due to internal crisis.

Idahosa added that he dumped the PDP because of what he described as the “damning deeds of the Obaseki-led administration in the last four years”.

He took a swipe at Obaseki for saying that PDP would win the forthcoming September governorship election with 80 per cent of votes.

“I thank God, four years later we all are wiser now. Like the Secretary said, I was a founding member of ACD, ACN and APC. The damage we did four years ago, the APC never remained the same.

“But I am glad we are back to the family. I was nominated to the Board of the Railway when I was in the APC. When I moved to the PDP, I wrote to resign my membership but it was rejected and showed my wide acceptance.

“At 71, I am not here to contest position with anybody, I am here to work. I want to urge APC to keep their eyes on the ball. It is not over until it is over.”

While lambasting Governor Obaseki for his comment that those leaving PDP have been given money, he noted that his greatest regret was not allowing the governor to resign after his first four years in office.

“When he came to beg me like a weather beaten chicken, how much did he give to me? Anytime he goes religious gathering he would say those leaving PDP have been given money.

“He came to me three times in my house to say he wants to resign, that he was tired of being governor but I appealed to him, telling him it was not about him but Benin interest.”

But in a swift reaction, the state Commissioner for Communication and Orientation, Chris Nehikhare alleged that Idahosa was never a PDP member.

Nehikhare noted that Idahosa was also never a BOT member of the party, because the party in the state rejected his nomination.

He alleged that it was as a result of the rejection that he found his way back to APC.

“I heard that he claimed to be a member of BOT of PDP but I want to challenge him to tell us when he was sworn in as a member of PDP BOT. He was not a fit and proper person. Even though he was nominated he was shunned by the party.

“It was this that drove him back to APC which he never left in the first place. He was holding on to the board appointment which was offered him while in APC prior to 2020 governorship election.

“He has reached the end of his political career. He has nothing to offer any political party or any group he joins because he believes in bread and butter politics,” Nehikhare said.