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  • Ojukwu would have joined APC — Okorocha

    Ojukwu would have joined APC — Okorocha

    Governor Rochas Okorocha, the host of the rally, spoke to select newspapers on why he dumped PDP, APGA leadership crisis, why he chose to join APC and the prospects of the mega party in the South-East zone. The Nation was there.

     

    At the beginning, when the APC was to be formed, there was the fear among some South-East leaders that the interest of the zone may not be fully protected in the new party. What is the merger deal and why are you so sure Ndigbo would be better secured politically under APC?

    The APC in the South-East is a done deal. I said so because the South-East has not had it good in PDP. The South-East is looking for a political party that will have a say as to what happens at the national level. Today, the South-East has no say at all as to what happens at the national PDP, because any time in any political party or setting, a particular zone does not produce the president, the vice president, the speaker, the senate president, and is not the chairman of the ruling party, then any other thing you’re talking about does not give them any good representation.

    But for the South-East, they’re better off in APC. APC came as a result of failure of PDP. There wouldn’t have been any APC if PDP was doing well as a party. So, Nigerians are yearning for a change, something that can provide them an alternative hope due to the failure of PDP, especially in the South-East. If you look at the history of South-East since the inception of PDP, there is nothing to show as a PDP zone, nothing, absolutely nothing.

    Today, the issue of the Niger Bridge is still a political discourse. The road from Enugu to Port Harcourt, a very simple thing to do, is still an issue of politics. So, the South-East is worst off with PDP, and APC is indeed their best alternative, their very best alternative. And I can assure you that every South-Easterner, majority of people in the South-East will be in APC, except for those who have made politics a business, and who have always enjoyed the patronage of PDP. Such people may still be found hanging around PDP. But in the real sense, the ordinary person in the states of South-East will be in APC.

    Talking about the issue of APGA, it has been… APGA to me is not a political party. APGA is just like a cultural thing for Ndigbo; it’s not really a political party. You cannot say that APGA controls the South-East, no! South-East is being controlled by PDP. So, this notion that APGA is a South-East party does not really arise. It’s only with my emergence as a governor now that we began to give APGA that sense of an Igbo party thing.

    If you look at it critically, you’ll agree with me that APGA is still a minority even in the South-East. People are comparing APGA with ACN that controls the South-West; that’s called a regional party. A party becomes regional when it is in total control of the region where it operates. I was in PDP. I didn’t come under PDP because I know their failure of internal democracy would not guaranty me a free and fair election on primaries.

    But for us, APGA is like an identity for Ndigbo. It’s like a way of life, so it’s not a bad thing. It is rather a thing that belongs to us, that’s why I say to people that every Igbo man in any other political party is in APGA; every PDP member is an APGA man; every APC member is an APGA man. APGA is not therefore a party per se, but it’s like a fallback thing for Ndigbo, assuming politics is not played the way it ought to be played nationally.

    But for now, we should not allow ourselves to miss this opportunity, where you have the South-West that has the control of their zone giving up their identity of ACN; CPC giving up their identity; ANPP giving up theirs in a merger, not in a coalition, not in an alliance to form a brand new party to challenge PDP, and APGA will say it will not join, what will you be after the merger? You become so inconsequential that you either have to go and chose with PDP.

    The question remains all these our marriage and alliance with PDP, how have we faired? There is nothing APGA can show for their support for PDP in the last election, absolutely nothing. I will not deceive Ndigbo. For me, I’m not ready to deceive Igbos; I must take them to the right place.

    We must have a party that cuts across the length and breadth of the entire nation. Why will I be in a party that I cannot have a say in what happens in the North or South-West or South-South simply because I find myself in the South-East?

    I want to go to Maiduguri and see my party members receiving me in their local angle, go to my place, the same thing applicable. I don’t want to be a 100% shareholder of a N1000 business. I’m the Chief Executive of N1000 company. I want to be a one percent shareholder of $1 billion business, even if I’m just an ordinary member. So, we’re looking at the bigger picture for our people. I hate to sound like a sectional or tribal leader, because having being born in the North, having being an Igbo man brought up in the North, and having being empowered by the West, Nigeria remains my constituency. So, I’m looking at the bigger picture.

    There is this fear that APC is a party owned by Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu. Will it be healthy to give up everything and join such a party?

    ACN could be described by critics as Tinubu’s party but not APC at all. Some people have also said it is Buhari’s party; it’s not anybody’s party; it’s a Nigerian party. APC is a Nigerian party, and to what advantage will Tinubu make out of it? What advantage will Buhari make out of it? How are you sure they’re even running for the president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria? If they do, they’re Nigerians.

     

    Does APGA still exist?

    The party exists with Victor Umeh as the National Chairman. The party cannot just fold its maps and join the APC because we still have issues in court, but I’m optimistic that once these matters are all over, we will come to the round table, discuss about the full merger with other parties. I don’t think APGA will like to be a very tiny party in Nigeria that cannot even guaranty itself a state, and it is not ready for that. But because of the issue in court, and that is why I think that it is not proper for APGA to submit their certificate now. Since I’m there already as the APGA APC, that is good enough.

     

    So can you conveniently say Imo is now an APGA state?

    Imo is an APGA state until the merger is consummated. Once the merger is consummated, then we’ll be in the APGA APC as far as this state is concerned.

    I also know we are not in disagreement with the national leadership of APGA. Umeh remains the chairman of APGA as far I am concerned, but I am saying that there is a better picture for us that will benefit our people and you will see that the moment we conclude this court case.

    But some are alleged to have been planted by the Presidency to ensure APGA becomes an annex of the PDP…

    For PDP, they want to annex APGA, really really, but I can’t be annexed by the PDP. So, I’m telling you that in the last election, there was what is called alliance with the PDP for presidential election. We did, especially in my state, it was people like us that guaranteed victory for PDP in the presidential election. It wasn’t the PDP governorship candidate then, no. It was people like us that had the magic that brought about that victory. We’re saying that we need a better thing; this is all about politics really.

     

    When you said that APGA is the minority in the South-East, controlling two states, the PDP see it the other way round; they see those two states as very strategic…

    When you talk about APGA as a party, it is a minority party. But if you ask APGA as an Igbo thing, then I’ll tell you that everybody is APGA. I think I made that point clear. So, there is different APGA, when you bring the term APGA. Let me shock you that if Ojukwu is alive, he would have been the first person to join this merger, because if you remember his relationship with Buhari and the rest of them at the time of ANPP, Ojukwu was the chairman of Board of Trustees of ANPP. So, he would have been glad to join this. I’m sure he wouldn’t have joined the PDP. I think we’re doing what Ojukwu would have done if he is alive today.

     

    In 1998 you were denied the ticket, do you have any regret that if you were allowed then you would done better?

    If I say I have regrets, I would be questioning my creator and I don’t want to do that. But there is nothing now in this my head that I didnt know as at that time. I have been consistent with my policies. If you remember as far back as 1998, I have been talking about Rochanomic; Rochas’ economic theory. The four tier system of government is there, decentralization was there. I had all these things lined up. So, there’s nothing that I am doing now that I wouldn’t have done then. That is why when I came into government, it did not take me one hour to key in, in fact I stated working on the 28th of May before my swearing-in. And since that day, there has not been a one hour break. Because I knew what to do from the onset. So I am not in this to learn. If not how could I have come up with a thousand projects in two years. It is unprecedented in the history of mankind.

    The truth is that what this government has done within this period has not been done in the history of Imo State in the past 30 years. What is happening here can only be the handwork of God.

    Some of us are not in this business to look for money. We want to use what we have to give to the system. Then, when I wanted to be governor they refused me so I went and picked a party, APGA, and won the election. If I had run under PDP one million times and the whole people wanted me, I would have lost.

    PDP has this characters that do not produce for Nigeria the much needed leaders but politicians who are not thinking of the next generation but the next election, that is my grouse with the PDP.

    The only election I won before this one was when PDP had no hand in it, when Abacha conducted the elections for constitutional conference. PDP has this kind of trend that if you are independent minded or have a mind of your own, then PDP will not allow you to have political power. Unless they feel you are a dummy that could be controlled and that is not what will bring progress. Until they change from that, they cannot move this nation forward.

     

    If your mother had been alive, would be doing things the same way you are doing it?

    Oh my God! Today when somebody mentioned that, I wept. If my mother had been there, that would have been a different story because she was indeed an inspiration but all the same, for whatever she is not there for, my wife quickly jumped into the shoes, providing motherly care and encouragement because sometimes it is not easy to run a government, sometimes you get pissed off by people’s attitudes, at times you feel like taking a walk out of the whole system. You ask yourself what is even there for you but somebody is there to pat your back and say listen, ‘you are on a divine mission.’

    Will you seek reelection in 2015 or are going to …?

    2015! I tell you, I have not decided. But I’ll soon make a decision, but definitely, I will run for an election.

     

    Was there a pact that you will do one term?

    No, there was never a pact. But it has always been my desire to serve in Imo State for one term, even now, I desire to do a term. But that is where I need help and prayers because here, I might take a risk of being lynched if I say I am not going to continue, unless I do something to make them hate me, but now it would be difficult to get out of that entanglement.

    And again remember, I have always run for president and it has always been my desire to be the president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, to give that which is inside me which would bring about the development of the country. So, these things are conflicting at the moment so I would simply wait and see.

     

     

  • Revisiting the APC saga

    TWO books that I read in the eighties remain reference points in my attempt to understand developments in Nigeria. The first, Anatomy of Corruption, written by the late Onigegeara of Ibadan, Mr. Labanji Bolaji, remains a classic on corrupt practices in Nigeria. The second, How to be a Nigerian, by Peter Enahoro, is a witty commentary on living in Nigeria. I’m yet to read his The Complete Nigerian which I understand is a sequel. All good books written to throw light on the dark affairs in the country point in the direction that there are peculiar Nigerian ways of doing things, even when there are supposed to be universal standards.

    Registration of political parties is principally governed by provisions of sections 222-224 of the Constitution and the Electoral Act 2010. The prerequisites are so general, and as applied and interpreted by the Supreme Court in the National Conscience Party, NCP, no one or body could add to those conditions spelt out in the supreme law of the land.

    The hurdles deliberately erected on the path of the All Progressives Congress (APC), could not have been altogether unexpected. It must have been an ambush expected by all analysts and even the leadership of the mega party. In the peculiar Nigerian manner, it was obvious to me that the ruling party at the federal level would attempt to throw spanner in the works. So, when two other parties made claims to the acronym APC, I was not surprised. The amazement was that leaders of the original APC appeared not to have anticipated the development.

    Last week, the other APC, the African Peoples Congress that rushed to the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to get registered as the original APC was making its way to satisfy guidelines from INEC, made for the courts to reverse the decision of the electoral body to deny registration to an association that apparently ignored legal procedure in a bid to stop the All Progressives Congress in its track.

    There are parallels in history. In the Second Republic, when four political parties that had a relationship in a coalition made a bid to combine efforts in confronting the National Party of Nigeria at the polls in 1983. The plan was scuttled mainly by employing the services of enemies within the proposed new party. The ruling party cleverly employed age-long suspicion between the Unity Party of Nigeria’s leader, Chief Obafemi Awolowo and Nigerian Peoples Party’s Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe. The resultant Progressive Party’s Alliance, PPA, a coalition, could not work as effectively as a merger would have. History must not be allowed to repeat itself 30 years after that episode.

    The challenge is for the original APC leaders to remain focused, anticipate that there would be genuine hurdles to scale and obstacles planted by the enemy. It is needless making an enemy of INEC. So far, I see nothing wrong with the steps taken by the national electoral body. A body known as APC sent it a letter of intent to get registered. The commission received the correspondence and kept it in view pending the time the full commission would meet to review the documents attached. Meanwhile, the AfPC made public its letter and sparked a row. What did anyone expect the commission to do? Take notice of a press conference by another body by the same acronym even when it was yet to approach the body? At the appropriate time, the commission rejected the African Peoples Congress.

    It is not yet over. The rival APC has approached the courts for intervention, arguing that INEC lacks the power to turn down its bid. It is clear that the bid is targeted at the authentic APC. The massive show of putting 30 lawyers on display last week is for effect. I am yet to see anyone on the AfPC roll with the financial or political clout that could attract 30 lawyers. But, the game plan, it seems, is make the real APC stumble, stutter and scatter. The next step is apply for an injunction to restrain INEC from registering any other body by the acronym while the case is pending. If that is obtained, INEC would be bound to obey.

    If AfPC is able to obtain the order, it could then instruct its counsel to stall judgment for as long as it could, thus frustrate the bid by the progressives to achieve early registration ahead of 2015. It is obvious the direction from which the stones are being thrown, but a shouting match would achieve nothing. It is time leaders of the APC engage their strategists to pre-empt these moves.

    There could be no better time to have a mega party to confront the behemoth at the centre. But, it takes discipline, hard work, fidelity and single-minded pursuit of the goal.

    The struggle continues.

     

  • APC is headache for Jonathan, says Buhari

    APC is headache for Jonathan, says Buhari

    Former Head of State Gen. Muhammadu Buhari yesterday said the on-going formation of the All Progressive Congress (APC) is giving sleepless nights to President Goodluck Jonathan and his Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

    Buhari’s Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) and the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP), have slated the conventions where they will approve their merger with the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) to form the APC for this weekend in Abuja and Gusau.

    Gen. Buhari spoke in Abuja at the CPC’s Board of Trustees (BOT) meeting. He said the merger process is unstoppable in spite of PDP’s effort to destabilise the formation.

    Gen. Buhari, who is also the BOT Chairman of the party, vowed to ensure deal with all those trying to truncate the merger process.

    His words: “Eventually, the merger process took a life of its own. It caught the nation’s imagination and attention, and has proved unstoppable, and it, no doubt must have given the government sleepless nights.

    “If you could recall, it was six months ago almost to the day that we had the last BOT meeting, following which we launched our project for repositioning out party and pursuing the issue of merger. Thank God that we are progressing. For this meeting, merger is at the top of the agenda. We are getting there and results will be achieved,” he said.

    Speaking on the threats by a former CPC National Chairman, Senator Rufai Hanga, to get a court order stopping the National Convention scheduled for tomorrow in Abuja, Buhari said nobody will disturb the convention.

    Gen. Buhari said: “Hanga took the party to court and got his case exhausted. When Hanga was the chairman of this party he showed his interest in running for the election in 2010 to become governor of Kano State and you know by law, if you are occupying transitional position in the party and you intend to go for the primary election, you are expected to hand over that political position to another person before going to stand election at the primaries. Hanga formally handed over his post before going to contest election.

    “Hanga went to contest for our governorship candidate in Kano. I think what the party will do is to go to the court and swear an affidavit and get Hanga to jail. I want to assure you that we going to go with APC to INEC and whatever the commission requires, I am sure we can comply with.”

    On the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB), Buhari said: “For the PIB, it is up to the individual State Assemblies to decide whether to accept it and pass it as required by the Constitution. I am very pleased that a number of governors have taken interest and are making their inputs into the review of the PIB.”

    National Chairman of the CPC, Prince Tony Momoh, also assured that “there is no problem with the merging parties taken up the acronym APC since even the other party that is claiming the same acronym has been disqualified by the commission. They are only joking; government cannot stop the merger process.”

  • Untitled post 92195

    The Chairman of the Kwara State Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), Kayode Olawepo, believes that the proposed All Progressives Congress (APC) will dislodge the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the next general elections. But the PDP chairman, Alhaji Ishola Balogun-Fulani, holds a contrary opinion. Both spoke with ADEKUNLE JIMOH on partisan issues.

    Why do you think the AbdulFatah Ahmed’s government is a continuation of Bukola Saraki in office?

    The reason is simple. It has been an appendage of the previous administration. Ordinarily, the buck should stop on the table of the governor. He is held responsible for every failure, just as he takes credit for every success. If truth must be told, this state has been in coma since the inception of this administration.

    How do you mean?

    In terms of infrastructural development, the state is zero. Talk of road development in rural areas, talk of sensitive areas of development like schools, talk of equipping hospitals with drugs, they are zero. Pension and gratuity very low, promotion not forthcoming; there is no landmark development that one can point to since the inception of this administration compared with other states. If you get to Imo, Oyo, Osun and Ekiti states you will see landmark developments. If two babies are born on the same day and one is already running and the other is yet to start crawling, then something is wrong with the one that is yet to crawl.

    This means there is a fundamental problem; the mantra of shared prosperity is actually shared acute poverty. Looking at the average Kwaran on the road, you can see acute poverty written all over his face. This is because the civil service, which is the engine room of the state, does not have the wherewithal to put smiles on peoples’ faces. Most of the contractors we have here do not reside here. As a result of that, there is heavy capital flight from the state. ractor is based.

    Considering the fact that the state is one of the least in the ladder of the monthly federal allocation, can you really blame the government?

    That is the popular alibi. But then, we all know that there is ecological fund; we all know that there is the excess crude, which if taken together are more in billions than the regular allocation. Nobody can say that this state is being run by only the regular allocation. In some other states where they take their people seriously, part of the security vote is used for development. The ecological fund can be used for infrastructural development like roads. What is the money from the excess crude account used for?I think the claim that the regular monthly allocation is meagre is untenable. Somebody must have to explain what the ecological fund is being used for because anytime there is a rainstorm about N30 million worth of materials would be bought and we know that ecological fund that comes into the state coffers runs into billions. Whatever project being executed ecologically in terms of drainages are largely sponsored by the federal government. The Asa Dam channelisa-tion project is one of such projects.

    Nobody can explain how the money donated by the federal government to flood ravaged state was utilised in krawa. We in the opposition do not know. So blaming government’s failure or none performance on irregular allocation is just an inexcusable explanation.

    How do you see the efforts by the state government on pipelines reticulation to ensure free flow of tap water?

    Since the inception of the current democracy, almost 60 percent of Kwara’s budgets are said to have been spent on water reticulation. Given the billions of naira that has been spent on water in this state, it is expected that every home and public place should have water taps and there are no public taps in Kwara. In fact, the project has become a huge drainpipe of whatever money we have in Kwara State.

    Are you saying the PDP government is a complete failure?

    Yes. But let me assure you that there will be a change if the opposition takes over because you cannot perform better than the material you are using. You cannot expect better performance because the same set of people that have been there since 1999 are still at the corridors of power today. So there has not been any change of system, no change of personnel. It is a familycum friend affairs in Kwara State.

    Do you think the people of Kwara South will be able to forge the unity to get the governorship in 2015?

    The perceived lack of unity among the people of Kwara South can be said to be sponsored. I say this because, other things being equal, the people know that only one candidate should come from the district. But if some people allowed themselves to be sponsored, that does not mean the people of the district are not united. It means some people are playing commercial politics; politics of the pocket to ensure the status quo remains and the evidence of that is the disappearance of such people immediately after the election. They resurface again when their masters need their services. For instance, the sustenance of the opposition in this state is only by one person with faithful loyalists, but during electioneering many of them will feign to be in opposition. Where are they now?

    Our people are now wiser. We have cautioned ourselves to ignore sponsored candidates that make Kwara Southerners look as if they are not united.

    What future awaits the proposed All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state?

    Yes, the only visible opposition in the state is the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), but we know that in the last election the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) presented a governorship candidate, the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) presented a governorship candidate. When ANPP candidate decamped the chairman of the party did not join him in decamping. So in Kwara north and central the CPC is well on the ground.

    The ACN is making waves because the leader of the party in the state is a renowned leader in the whole country and the impact of his effectiveness at the national level radiates to the state. And he has been up and doing in making sure that the ACN is doing well in the state with able, highly dedicated and sincere supporters.

    The CPC, too, is a virile party but their level of organization may be different. Since the discussion on this merger commenced at the national level we have been relating and we know that some decisions cannot be taken until the national merger give the go ahead order. They are meeting openly at the national level and we are meeting surreptitiously at the state level preparing us for the time the announcement would be made. By the time the announcement is made, we are not going to be new to each other.

    If there are states that need the merger, other than at the federal level, it is Kwara state and the reasons are obvious. It is, therefore, indubitable that Kwara will embrace the merger more than any other state. It is a prayer answered if the merger is successful. If succeeds at the national level, definitely, it will be successful in Kwara State.

    Can APC dislodge the PDP in Kwara State?

    Definitely, yes. I know the materials that are in CPC and there are some people that will come out when the merger comes to fruition. One unfortunate appellation that ACN is a south-western party would be gone. So, everybody who believes he is a northerner can now be fully accommodated. People that would not have openly identify with a Southwest party can now say APC is their party. So, we expect serious in-flow of highly placed Kwarans into the party.

  • 23 governors to join APC

    23 governors to join APC

    Eight pro-All Progressive Congress (APC) governors and political heavy weights yesterday converged on Owerri, the Imo State capital, for the fledgling party’s maiden sensitisation and awareness rally in the Southeast.

    The Heroes’ Square venue of the rally, was jammed as early as 8am. Party chieftains, politicians, captains of industry, traders and artisans defied the scorching sun to listen to the message – change.

    At the rally were Governors Babatunde Fashola (Lagos); Adams Oshiomhole (Edo); Rauf Aregbosola (Osun); Kayode Fayemi (Ekiti); Ibikunle Amosun (Ogun); Abiola Ajimobi (Oyo); Kashim Shetima (Borno) and Tanko al-Makura (Nasarawa).

    Speaking at the packed rally, which coincided with the Imo Freedom Day celebration, host Governor Rochas Okorocha disclosed that 23 governors have joined the newly formed APC. According to him, the governors are waiting for the right time to publicly declare for the party. He said their decision to wait was for obvious reasons.

    Okorocha, however, noted that his party – the All Progressives Grand Alliance, (APGA) – is neither joining any political party nor going into any alliance but in a merger with others to form a new party, APC.

    He said it was a matter of time for the APC to take over every level of governance, adding that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has failed the people in the 13 years of return to democracy, stressing that Ndigbo are for APC.

    The visiting governors, who were visibly impressed by the massive turnout at the rally, took turns to deride the PDP leadership style. They restated APC’s commitment to giving Nigeria a better leadership.

    Fashola, who drew a resounding ovation from the cheerful crowd, described APC as a great train of change. He said: “We have set about a course that is irrevocably committed to giving power back to the people. We believe that Nigeria needs a change and APC will bring about that change.”

    Taking the floor after Fashola, Ajimobi noted that the PDP had gone from bad to worse. He said the only option left to salvage the nation is the APC.

    Shetima said the exceptional performance of the pro-APC governors are testimonies of how great the country would be if the party became the ruling party. He urged the people to support the party for the good of the land, adding that the party is out to redefine governance.

    Amosun said they were pleased to see that the performance of their Imo State colleague was real.

    Amosun said: “This is what we want and this is what the APC represents. The battle has just begun; APC must succeed for the benefit of Nigerians because there is no better platform.

    Al-Makura described Okorocha’s performance as the beginning of what the people of the State will witness in terms of development, noting that it is worth celebrating. He urged the people to support the governor.

    “You cannot salvage the country with people who are fake, people who are pseudo democrats,” he said.

    Fayemi said: “A time like this calls for visionary leaders as seen in all the states where the APC is holding sway. No amount of intimidation will deter us from working together to salvage the country.

    “No one is happy with what is going on; that is why we have embarked on this rescue mission; that is why we have embarked on the freedom journey.”

    Aregbesola, who held the surging crowd spellbound with his songs and dance steps, described the APC as a bulldozer that will crush everything on its way, including the ruling PDP.

    He called on the people to say ‘no’ to unemployment, poverty and hunger, which he said PDP has given Nigerians as a legacy.

    Oshiomhole noted that when he led a protest of workers to Imo State as a labour leader, he met a state with filthy streets, dilapidated infrastructure, “but now, everything in Imo State has changed”.

    The Edo governor described Imo as an example of what Nigeria will look like in every area of national life when the APC becomes the ruling party. He urged the people to continue to support the governor.

  • ‘APC will alter face of politics’

    ‘APC will alter face of politics’

    Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) National Chairman Chief Bisi Akande recently led 4,761 delegates to the party’s national convention in Lagos where a resolution for the approval of its merger with other opposition parties to form the All Progressives Congres (APC) was passed. He also explained the prospects of the merger and its implications for progressive politics in his address to the party faithful.

     

     

    It is with great joy that I salute each and every one of you for coming to this very historic convention of our great party, the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN). We are particularly delighted to have in our midst, leaders of other opposition parties who have come all the way to witness this occasion. This convention is a special one, because it sets in motion one of the requisite steps that will lead to the coming together of leading opposition parties and groups for the purpose of creating an alternative political platform that will fundamentally alter for good the face of politics and governance in this country.

    There is no gainsaying the fact that the merger of the leading opposition parties, which has reached an advanced stage, is already a fait accompli. The urgent need for change and the crushing desire to rescue our country from decay compel us to act quickly to provide an alternative leadership for Nigeria. This endeavour has become necessary given the efforts of the ruling party to stifle democracy and destroy its institutions.

    We must not entertain any weariness or surrender to sentiments or blackmail in this enterprise, mindful that merger is strange, new and unique in Nigeria and that the law did not envisage the ambush presently being placed on our ways. But we shall overcome. This merger has come to stay!

    The question I have had to answer from many of our party members is, why must we merge? Our experience of a miniature merger of the truncated Alliance for Democracy with the splinter of the PDP called ACD in 2006 which resulted in the AC, and later ACN, promoted our control from one state (Lagos) in 2007 to six states (Lagos, Edo, Ekiti, Osun, Oyo and Ogun) in 2011; and, increased our representation in the National Assembly from (32 in the House of Representatives and 6 in the Senate) in 2007 to (69 in the House of Representatives to 19 in the Senate) in 2011. It is our hope therefore that a merger of big parties like ACN, CPC and ANPP with DPP and a major portion of APGA, would yield a much bumper harvest.

    The leadership of our great party after deep deliberations and consultations and in view of the current political reality is convinced that a merger is the way to go. We have threaded this path before. We are wiser, smarter and more prepared to make the sacrifices that this process requires for the sake of our country.

    Why have we succeeded so much in ACN, many may want to ask? We have selfless caucus of leaders who provided the backbones for the raising of funds; and, who exercised the tremendous influence that promoted the confidence of our party organs like the NWC and the National Executive Committee (NEC) under my leadership. We encouraged selfless officers in the party and patriotic directors in the headquarters at Abuja to serve tirelessly without any emoluments, salaries and allowances; and, we enjoyed the example of an experienced, devoted and self disciplined chairmanship that drove the party secretariat to perform so honestly such that the INEC auditors had to single out ACN as having provided a most enviable and credible records of financial statements among all the political parties in Nigeria.

    This is the kind of tradition I would urge us to re-establish in the new family, All Progressives Congress (APC). The next few changes of the merger are the final bold steps that will position us politically for greater gains and deliver one of the most formidable political platforms in post independent Nigeria.

    As democrats, we must strive to put a stop to the present lamentable state of affairs in Nigeria by constructively engaging the political process with a view to overcoming the challenges that arrest our development as a nation. We must strive to build a strong, disciplined and internally democratic political platform that guarantees greater citizen’s participation at all levels. It, therefore, behoves us as leaders to always lead by example, and insist on discipline from our party members while remaining vigilant and constantly watching out for mercenaries who are wont to throw spanners in our good works.

    In over 13 years that the PDP has been in power, not only has it failed to deliver on its promises, it has infected all institutions of state with its moral infirmity, aversion to the rule of law and entrenched monumental corruption never seen in the history of this country. Today, our country has become a society where the safety of life and property is at its lowest ebb and poverty level at its highest. Nigerians are waiting patiently but with bated breath, to see the successful outcome of the merger talks. We must never let them down. We must rise above pettiness and personal ambitions and put the greater interest of this nation over any other thing else, for this is the only guarantee, to salvaging Nigeria from the precipice.

    Distinguished ladies and gentlemen, this may be the last convention we are holding as ACN. However, it marks yet the beginning of another journey towards the attainment of higher objectives. At this juncture, let me publicly acknowledge the contributions of those I have been privileged to work within our party in the past seven years. I seize this opportunity to express deep appreciation to our party leaders across the country for their support. Your inputs, and respective wealth of experience in caucus and other informal meetings have enriched in no small measure the way we run our party.

    This ACN convention is not designed to relegate the position of its leaders and members. It is to make you a trail blazer, it is to make you the innovator, it is to make you the pioneer, it is to make you the ground breaker in a noble venture. Distinguished ladies and gentlemen, this is the convention of a great party, which is at the threshold of making history. I am pleased to declare this Convention open.”

     

  • We haven’t rejected APC merger bid, says INEC

    We haven’t rejected APC merger bid, says INEC

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) yesterday said it has not rejected the merger plan of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

    In a statement in Abuja by its spokesman, Kayode Idowu, the commission said it remains impartial in regulating the nation’s electoral process.

    The statement reads: “The attention of the INEC has been drawn to reports in some newspapers today, Monday, April 29, 2013, that it has rejected a bid by some political parties to merge as the All Progressives Congress (APC).

    “This is to affirm that the reports in the Nigerian Tribune and the Daily Champion are utterly false. The commission has not written to stop APC’s merger bid.

    “The commission, in a letter by its Secretary, dated April 23, only declined an application by another association seeking to register as the All Progressives Congress of Nigeria (APCN), for the reason that the acronym proposed by the association is similar to that of another already seeking registration.

    “The commission hereby reassures Nigerians that it will always do the right thing as a dispassionate and impartial regulator of the political process.”

  • APC’s growing influence in South-East

    APC’s growing influence in South-East

    Since leading progressives political parties met in Lagos and resolved to merge into a mega party, All Progressives Congress, the politics of South-East zone has become more revitalised as the new party is spreading like harmattan fire there. In this report, Associate Editor, Sam Egburonu, takes a look at the political leaders behind the party ‘s growing influence in the zone.

     

     

    Before the emergence of the mega party, All Progressive Congress ( APC), the politics of the South-East geo-political zone had suffered greatly and it has become certain that a majority of the electorate and political leaders there were in search of change.

    The primary allegation for the quest for change has remained that the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), which has dominated the politics of the zone since 1999, has been unable to resolve, satisfactorily, the deep feeling of marginalisation amongst the people.

    Even the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), which many of the people saw as their own, had been stalled by continuous internal crises and intrigues, thus leaving the zone largely naked, politically.

    Given this reality, a majority of South-Easterners, especially those dissatisfied with the status quo, see the emergence of APC as the long awaited opportunity for political deliverance.

    The Nation’s investigation reveals that such electorate and political stalwarts have enthusiastically embraced the new party even before the conclusion of the registration process.

    Besides the people’s dissatisfaction with the status quo and the need for a more viable change, our investigation shows that the growing influence of APC in the geo- political zone is also attributable to the influence and acceptability of most of the politicians that are leading the new party in the zone.

    In most of the South-East states, APC seems to have a lot of political figures, who are comparatively adjudged, by the electorates, as both progressives and radical and therefore more welfarist in ideology.

    This, according to Chief Iheanacho Ukandu, a community leader and politician in Abia State, “has helped the mega party to enjoy instant popularity and acceptability here,” he said.

     

    Imo State:

    Leading the APC in Imo State and other parts of the South-East zone today is Governor Rochas Okorocha.

    Not encumbered by the disagreement over his party’s participation in the merger, Okorocha has remained steadfast in the new political process.

    Apart from Okorocha, there are also other political heavyweights in the state, whose association with APC has served as a major boost for the party in the state. They include former CPC governorship candidate, Chief Mike Ahamba, who recently decamped to ACN in a grand style and with many supporters, put by some report, as numbering over 3000.

    Even before the emergence of APC, ACN, led in the state by Chief Charles Ubah, has attracted powerful politicians.

    It would be recalled that in 2011, some of the major politicians from the state, who were associated with ACN, included Senator Ifeanyi Ararume, former governor of Imo State, Chief Achike Udenwa and Chief Cosmas Iwu.

     

    Anambra State

    In Anambra State, former state governor, Dr. Chris Ngige, the leader of ACN, is the leading force of the mega party in the state.

    Since his brazen kidnap as a serving state governor, his popularity has continued to soar. To concretise his reputation, Ngige, within the short period he survived in office as governor, gave a good account of himself as a people’s leader and a firm believer in provision of dividends of democracy.

    As various political parties commence preparation for this year’s governorship election, our finding is that the image has continued to pay off for Ngige, as many of his admirers, including some still within the PDP, are daily signifying interest to join him in the APC.

    Also the recent killing of former deputy governor of the state, Dr. Chudi Nwike, who served between 1991 and 1993, under former Governor Chukwuemeka Ezeife, though not declared political, is another factor that may favour the new party in his zone during this year’s elections. The Nation learnt that Dr. Chudi Nwike, a chieftain of ACN, was until his kidnap and brutal killing, an important force in Anambra State APC.

     

    Ebonyi State

    In Ebonyi State, the National Chairman of All Nigeria People’s Party ( ANPP), Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu, who is one of the principal founders of APC, will most likely lead the campaign for APC in the state henceforth. A former governor of old Abia State, Onu will be walking with other leaders of his party in the state, the leaders of ACN in the state and that of other opposition parties, who are participating in the merger to battle the ruling People’s Democratic Party.

    With the merger, it is believed that the progressives will work as one to effectively challenge PDP in the state.

    Even before the merger, opposition political parties in the state have share common ambition of uprooting PDP in the state.

     

    Abia State

    In Abia State, APC is also poised to uproot the PDP government. The Nation learnt that the new party will be led mainly by young but radical politicians. Asides the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) candidate in the 2011 gubernatorial election in the state, Prince Paul Ikonne, ANPP member of Board of Trustees, Dr. Francis Egu, had, according to some sources, been pencilled down to play leading roles in the APC 2015 campaigns in the state.

     

    Enugu State

    In Enugu State, where it was once reported that the incumbent governor, Sullivan Chime, a PDP member, may soon join APC, the leader of the Action Congress of Nigeria, Maj.-Gen. Josef Okoloagu (retd.), has been involved in the original coordination of the activities of the progressives ahead of 2015.

    As far back as February 25, 2013, when about 1,000 Peoples Democratic Party members reportedly defected to the ACN in the state, Okoloagu had said the defection would further embolden the ACN to wrest power from the PDP in the 2015 general elections in the state.

    Since then, so much has happened in the state as more political heavyweights have indicated interest to join the mega party.

    With these coordinated moves to ensure victory for APC in the South-East zone, starting from this year’s Anambra State govenorship election, it remains to be seen how far the new party can go. Considering the way the party has been received so far, it may not be a difficult task to claim the zone for the progressives. It all depends on how the PDP and others will respond to the challenge.

  • ‘APC will alter face of politics’

    ‘APC will alter face of politics’

    Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) National Chairman Chief Bisi Akande recently led 4,761 delegates to the party’s national convention in Lagos where a resolution for the approval of its merger with other opposition parties to form the All Progressives Congres (APC) was passed. He also explained the prospects of the merger and its implications for progressive politics in his address to the party faithful.

    “It is with great joy that I salute each and every one of you for coming to this very historic convention of our great party, the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN). We are particularly delighted to have in our midst, leaders of other opposition parties who have come all the way to witness this occasion. This convention is a special one, because it sets in motion one of the requisite steps that will lead to the coming together of leading opposition parties and groups for the purpose of creating an alternative political platform that will fundamentally alter for good the face of politics and governance in this country.

    There is no gainsaying the fact that the merger of the leading opposition parties, which has reached an advanced stage, is already a fait accompli. The urgent need for change and the crushing desire to rescue our country from decay compel us to act quickly to provide an alternative leadership for Nigeria. This endeavour has become necessary given the efforts of the ruling party to stifle democracy and destroy its institutions.

    We must not entertain any weariness or surrender to sentiments or blackmail in this enterprise, mindful that merger is strange, new and unique in Nigeria and that the law did not envisage the ambush presently being placed on our ways. But we shall overcome. This merger has come to stay!

    The question I have had to answer from many of our party members is, why must we merge? Our experience of a miniature merger of the truncated Alliance for Democracy with the splinter of the PDP called ACD in 2006 which resulted in the AC, and later ACN, promoted our control from one state (Lagos) in 2007 to six states (Lagos, Edo, Ekiti, Osun, Oyo and Ogun) in 2011; and, increased our representation in the National Assembly from (32 in the House of Representatives and 6 in the Senate) in 2007 to (69 in the House of Representatives to 19 in the Senate) in 2011. It is our hope therefore that a merger of big parties like ACN, CPC and ANPP with DPP and a major portion of APGA, would yield a much bumper harvest.

    The leadership of our great party after deep deliberations and consultations and in view of the current political reality is convinced that a merger is the way to go. We have threaded this path before. We are wiser, smarter and more prepared to make the sacrifices that this process requires for the sake of our country.

    Why have we succeeded so much in ACN, many may want to ask? We have selfless caucus of leaders who provided the backbones for the raising of funds; and, who exercised the tremendous influence that promoted the confidence of our party organs like the NWC and the National Executive Committee (NEC) under my leadership. We encouraged selfless officers in the party and patriotic directors in the headquarters at Abuja to serve tirelessly without any emoluments, salaries and allowances; and, we enjoyed the example of an experienced, devoted and self disciplined chairmanship that drove the party secretariat to perform so honestly such that the INEC auditors had to single out ACN as having provided a most enviable and credible records of financial statements among all the political parties in Nigeria.

    This is the kind of tradition I would urge us to re-establish in the new family, All Progressives Congress (APC). The next few changes of the merger are the final bold steps that will position us politically for greater gains and deliver one of the most formidable political platforms in post independent Nigeria.

    As democrats, we must strive to put a stop to the present lamentable state of affairs in Nigeria by constructively engaging the political process with a view to overcoming the challenges that arrest our development as a nation. We must strive to build a strong, disciplined and internally democratic political platform that guarantees greater citizen’s participation at all levels. It, therefore, behoves us as leaders to always lead by example, and insist on discipline from our party members while remaining vigilant and constantly watching out for mercenaries who are wont to throw spanners in our good works.

    In over 13 years that the PDP has been in power, not only has it failed to deliver on its promises, it has infected all institutions of state with its moral infirmity, aversion to the rule of law and entrenched monumental corruption never seen in the history of this country. Today, our country has become a society where the safety of life and property is at its lowest ebb and poverty level at its highest. Nigerians are waiting patiently but with bated breath, to see the successful outcome of the merger talks. We must never let them down. We must rise above pettiness and personal ambitions and put the greater interest of this nation over any other thing else, for this is the only guarantee, to salvaging Nigeria from the precipice.

    Distinguished ladies and gentlemen, this may be the last convention we are holding as ACN. However, it marks yet the beginning of another journey towards the attainment of higher objectives. At this juncture, let me publicly acknowledge the contributions of those I have been privileged to work within our party in the past seven years. I seize this opportunity to express deep appreciation to our party leaders across the country for their support. Your inputs, and respective wealth of experience in caucus and other informal meetings have enriched in no small measure the way we run our party.

    This ACN convention is not designed to relegate the position of its leaders and members. It is to make you a trail blazer, it is to make you the innovator, it is to make you the pioneer, it is to make you the ground breaker in a noble venture. Distinguished ladies and gentlemen, this is the convention of a great party, which is at the threshold of making history. I am pleased to declare this Convention open.”

  • APC will record landslide victory in 2015 – Udenwa

    APC will record landslide victory in 2015 – Udenwa

    A former governor of Imo State, Sen. Achike Udenwa, on Thursday said the yet-to-be registered All Progressives Congress (APC) would have a landslide victory in the 2015 elections.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Udenwa made the declaration while answering questions from journalists at the Action Congress of Nigeria national convention held at the Onikan Stadium, Lagos.

    “Aside from victory at the center, the APC will win the governorship polls in Imo in 2015.

    “The APC is here to win and every Nigerian is welcome to support it, “he told journalists.

    He said the most important aspect of the new party was its ideology of transforming the nation.

    On how the APC would defeat the ruling Peoples Democratic Party, Udenwa, who defected to ACN from the ruling party, added that what really mattered was the APC’s ideology.