By Ezeocha Nzeh
After about three days delay, the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) on Tuesday began the sale of expression of interest and nomination forms for Party aspirants seeking to be flagbearers in the forthcoming 2023 General Election with a promise of a transparent and hitch-free exercise.
To flag off the exercise, the National Organizing Secretary, Sulaiman Muhammad Argungu presented expression of interest, nomination forms and guidelines to the Governor of Plateau State, Simon Bako Lalong and Senator Ita Solomon Enang who were the first to storm the party’s national Secretariat in Abuja to pick their forms
While outgoing Plateau State Governor, Simon Lalong, purchased his form to contest for the Plateau South Senatorial district, Special Assistant to President Buhari on National Assembly Affairs, senator Ita Enang, purchased his form for Akwa Ibom State governorship election.
The Plateau Legacy Group led by Rt. Hon. Yusuf Gagdi collected the expression of interest, nomination forms and guidelines on behalf of Governor Lalong.
Accompanied by the National Publicity Secretary, Barr. Felix Morka and the Deputy National Organizing Secretary, Nze Chidi Duru, Argungu assured aspirants of adequate forms, dispelling fears of hoarding.
Speaking to journalist after purchasing hos Expression of Interest and Nomination form, Enang said he was highly elated picking the gubernatorial form to contest the governorship election on the platform of the APC Akwa Ibom State.
“I express my gratitude to His Excellency Mr President, the chairman of the party, Senator Abdullahi Adamu, the organizing secretary, Alhaji Akungu and all other officers, the national secretary for the seamless and well organized manner they have organised the process of payment and collection of forms and making sure that at every stage in every State, they have ensured that there is amity and unity.”
On the crisis that has led to the factionalization of the APC in Akwa Ibom state, Senator Enang said, “there’s no more faction in Akwa Ibom State. All the interests have sank into one family and the family is All Progressives Congress under the leadership of president Muhammadu Buhari and the national Chairman. Whatever is remaining to tidy the end, we will tidy up and we will go into the nomination as one united family in one venue coming out with one candidate, one winner for every of the gubernatorial, Senatorial, house of Representatives and house of assembly elections, we will come out strong and able.
When aked on what he intends to bring into the state Governor, the presidential aide stated,
“I’m bringing to the table accountability, change in the mode of doing things, concentration in the manner in which we generate funds from the State and from the National level, attracting and working more with the federal government, cooperating with federal institutions to be able to bring development to the State and giving attention to agriculture, education and declaring emergency on the development of Youths and the development of human infrastructure.”
