A former Chairman of the defunct All Nigerian Peoples Party (ANPP), Dr Ogbonnaya Onu, yesterday said the All Progressives Alliance (APC) will defeat the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2015 elections.
He said the kidnap of registration officers of the APC in Ebonyi State by PDP thugs was disturbing.
Onu spoke at the New Market Junction Polling Unit in Ohaozara Local Government Area of Ebonyi State.
Then former governor said the attack proved that the PDP felt threatened that the APC would unseat it in the forthcoming elections.
He said: “We are very disturbed. It shouldn’t be that way. This country belongs to all Nigerians. It doesn’t belong to only those in one political party; there are some people who are not even members of any political party. So, if APC is registering its members nobody should attack any of our members. If APC has not been a great party, a party that the ruling party feels threatened that it can remove them from power, you won’t see things like this.”
Onu, a former Governor of Abia State urged Nigerians to support the APC which he noted is determined to turn around the good fortunes of the country and restore its credibility in the committee of nations.
He expressed optimism on the chances of the party to unseat the PDP in next year’s general elections adding that the party’s strength lies not just in controlling the most populous states in the country but also in tremendous goodwill it enjoys from Nigerians who are yearning for positive change.
“I appeal to all Nigerians to give the APC a chance, Nigerians want change and this change will come from APC. And we are promising Nigerians that once apc is in power, we are going to ensure that Nigeria will be different from what it is today, Nigerians will be happy and Nigerian will be respect in the committee of nations as it should be.
“The strength of APC is not just in the 16 states that we are controlling, the strength of the APC is that Nigerians want change, things are not the way they should be and that is disturbing to many Nigerians. And they are looking for an alternative and the alternative is now available. APC is the only party that has demonstrated that they can put the interest of the nation first.
“We have thousands of people from national down to the ward level who gave up their positions in the defunct parties that formed APC to ensure that it was achieved. We have majority because if you look at the number of registered voters, the states we are controlling are the most populous states in the country, so we are optimistic that with support of Nigerians and blessings of God we will control more states and also the federal government.”
The APC chieftain called on INEC to hold all the elections on same day arguing that this will save cost and make it difficult to rig the elections.
“The party is going to study the timetable, we would want elections that are free and fare, credible, peaceful and transparent and the party will issue its own position as far as the timetable is concerned at a later date. But the party believes that elections should hold on the same date because if INEC is saying they don’t have money then easiest way to reduce cost is to have all the elections on the same day”.
“Also, if you are not interested on one election like house of assembly you may be interested in senate of governorship, so we will have more people come out and this will make it more difficult to rig election. If we can have free and fair election in Ghana, Senegal, Benin Republic, why can’t we have it in Nigeria and by God’s grace we will have it.”
He berated the Federal Government for failing to honour the agreements it entered into ASUU.
“There was a time in Nigeria our universities ranked among the best in the commonwealth. Then people used to come from other countries to receive treatment in our hospital but today what is the situation? If you are sick you have to go abroad to get treatment. Before it used to be Europe, now it’s India and even Egypt and South Africa’
“Many of our students go abroad for studies not just because we may not have the subjects or disciplines they want to study but because the standard of our education is very low. Even the agreement that government reached with ASUU in 2009, ASUU had to go on strike for several months to force the FG to keep to the agreement, now we are hearing that the agreement that was reached that led them back to school, that the federal government is not complying’.
“These are the problems that Nigerians are worried about, and that is the strength of APC’s demand for change, that things should be done properly, that no human being has two heads, if other countries are doing well, we also are endowed and should be doing well as well.
“So, we are assuring our people that with effective competition in the political arena democracy will be nurtured and all the dividends of democracy will come because everybody in office will realize that if you don’t do well you will be removed and that will make us all as politicians to sit up and do our work as we should”.
