*Vows to wrest power in 2023
From Steve Oko, Umuahia
Former National Vice Chairman of the All Progressive Congress, APC, South East zone, Chief Emma Enukwu, has charged both the old and new members of the party in Abia State to jettison personal differences and unite to take over power in 2023, lamenting what he called leadership failure in the state.
Enukwu gave the charge Tuesday in Umuahia while receiving the members of the All Progressive Grand Alliance, APGA, led by the state chairman, Chief Nkem Okoro, who defected to APC at the party’s state secretariat.
He said that the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP -led administration in Abia State had underdeveloped the state.
According to him Abia is far behind other states in the South East as a result of poor leadership, a sad development he said must end in 2023.
His words :” Abia is the worst state in the South East; no roads, no social amenities. There is nothing to boast of. But APC will rebuild Abia come 2023 when it will sweep out PDP from the seat of power”.
The former National Auditor of APC, tasked the new and old members of the party in the state on unity, stressing that they need to fight together as a united family to end PDP’s years of misrule.
Enukwu who regretted that in-house fighting had been the major bane of APC in Abia, enjoined the party faithful including new entrants to pull their resources together and wrest power from PDP come 2023.
He noted that APC in Abia had passed through many challenges but urged the members not to smoke their golden opportunity of transiting from the opposition to the ruling party in 2023 considering the caliber of personalities joining the party in the recent times.
Enukwu who said the APC -led Federal Government had contrary to some opinions, shown enough love for the South East through building some notable projects in the zone including the upgrading of the Enugu International airport and the second Niger Bridge, solicited the support of the zone for the party.
He argued that if the zone should join APC en mass the Nigeria President of Igbo extraction project would be easy to actualise in 2023.
The APC chieftain said the South East was ready and united in producing President Muhammadu Buhari’s successor in 2023, and called on Ndigbo to rally behind the project by joining the mainstream party.
He assured the new entrants to the party of justice and equity, saying that APC believes in internal democracy.
Earlier in his remarks, the leader of the decampees and APGA Chairman in the state, Chief Okoro, said they decided to dump APGA because they had discovered that it was only APC that possessed the capacity to unseat the ruling PDP in the state.
He said their decision to join APC had the nod of the party members, adding that it was also in solidarity with their governorship candidate in 2019, Dr. Alex Otti who recently joined APC.
“On behalf of the SWC and members of the All Progressvies Grand Alliance in Abia state, we have come here today to complete what can best be described as a tsunami of political realignment with the biggest and most progressive political party in Nigeria, the APC.
“This decision was taken after wide consultation with our supporters at all levels who are in agreement that the APC represents a progressives platform with the ideals and vision required to end misgovernance in Abia.
” Our decision to join the APC became more cogent and expedient, after the leader of the party in Abia state and a respected Abia son, Dr. Alex Otti OFR joined the party with thousands of APGA supporters recently.”
He promised to support the APC take control of the state come 2023.
“As leaders of APGA at all levels, we showed hard work and commitment devoid of compromise in leading our party men and women, therefore today, we want to assure you that, we shall deploy same virtues of commitment and sincerity as APC members to passionately work for the growth and expansion of the Abia APC at all levels.
“What we are doing here today marks the end of our journey in APGA, thus we are joining the Abia APC with our spirits and souls, and with the determination to make people oriented sacrifices aimed at taking the APC to an enviable height.
“Present here with me today are, members of the State Working Committee, the 17 L.G.A Chairmen and the ward Chairmen of the 184 wards of the state, as well as former state and L.G.A officers of the party.”
In his remarks, APC Chairman in Abia, Hon. Donatus Nwankpa, thanked the decampees for their courage to reject ‘the cock and pick the broom’.
Nwankpa assured them of equal treatment, saying that nobody will be discriminated against .
He said the major preoccupation of Abia APC ahead of the 2023 general election “is how to end bad governance and misrule ” in the state.
Nwankpa enjoined old members of the party to receive the new entrants with open heart, contending that no person has any reasons not to accommodate them as their support is needed to make the party more formidable.
