***Warns party may lose next general election
By Ezeocha Nzeh
As the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) battles to overcome it’s lingering crisis, former national officers and state chairmen of the defunct Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) have warned that the party would only be saved by a proactive leadership at the centre, to rescue it from the current push towards extinction
The CPC was one of the four legacy political parties that merged in 2013 to form the APC that eventually won the 2015 general election, defeating the incumbent People’s Democratic Party (PDP)
The defunct CPC leaders who regrouped in Abuja demanded that the bloc be given the privilege of producing the next national chairman of the APC, arguing that the CPC is the only member of the legacy party that is yet to produce a national chairman for the APC
The bloc argued st a press briefing in Abuja that as one of the legacy parties that formed the ruling party, it contributed immensely to the strong footing of the APC, adding that only a national chairman from its bloc can stabilize the APC, especially at this period of its numerous crisis
Protect national legal adviser and national secretary of the defunct CPC Okoi Ofem Obono Obla, who spoke on behalf of the group, insisted that at the March 26 National Convention and given “the infighting that has depleted the fortunes of the party”, only Senator Umaru Tanko Al-makura possessed the magic wand to address the many ills plaguing APC.
Obono-Obla, who was supported by other National and state officers of the bloc, noted that the defunct CPC chieftains collectively endorsed the aspirations of Senator Umaru Tanko Al-makura as the next chairman of APC.
The former presidential aide, while reeling out what he called “some of the party’s self-inflicted misfortunes” such as the loss of Bauchi, Zamfara, Rivers states, among others, in 2019 elections, stated that if something was not done, the party might lose the next general election.
“We believe if something is not done, the party may lose the next general election. The party has floundered to the extent that there is an almost total breakdown of law, order, discipline and cohesion, all ingredients that are fundamental for the success of every political party that wants to win election.
“There is chaos in the party that has manifested glaringly in its inability to conduct a national convention for two years or more.
“The lack of leadership of these past years has seen the fortunes of the party nosedive to the extent that three months to the primaries for nomination of candidates for the 2023 general elections, there is no national working committee that will issue guidelines for the conduct of primaries.
“We, therefore, advocate for the election of a leadership that will return the party to its core values.”
“The next national chairman must come from one of the legacy parties that coalesced to form APC.
“We categorically demand that a member of one of the legacy parties that came together to form APC, be the next national chairman of APC.
The group further stated it endorsed Al’makura’s aspiration “not out of emotion or sentiment or primordial grounds but holds fervently that in this period, he is the most qualified of all those who have shown interest to lead the party because of who he is”.
“He is an administrator par excellence, accomplished businessman, legislator, party manager, mediator, conciliator and a progressive and patriotic Nigerian.”
He assured that Al-Makura would return the party to her original focus of championing genuine progressive change in Nigeria.”
