By Akombo Aondona, Abuja
From the kernel of their messages at the just-concluded National Convention of the All Progressives Congress (APC), it is clear that party apparatchiks from the Presidency to the governors of the APC, among others, know that the 2023 General Elections will not be a walk in the park for them.
In fact, it appears that the party leaders sense, even fear, a seismic combustion of the APC under pressure from both internal and external forces.
Consequently, the exhortation to close ranks, bury personal grudges emanating from perceived or assumed slights, especially as these relate to the enforced consensus arrangement under which the new National Working Committee (NWC) of the party emerged, was the theme of messages delivered to party faithful by APC leaders given the platform to speak at the convention, starting with President Muhammadu Buhari.
In his speech, President Buhari pleaded with APC leaders and members to close ranks and work as a team to clinch victory for the party in the 2023 General Elections.
The President said: “We must work together as party leaders and stop attacking one another in the media. I commend the Governor Mai Mala Buni-led Caretaker/Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee for the great service to our party under which the membership of our party increased tremendously. We have been able to win over three governors, senators and many others into our party’s fold”.
Also, Vice President Yemi Osibanjo urged Nigerians to vote the APC in 2023 to enable the party build on its achievements under its three cardinal points of socio-economic growth, security and fight against corruption.
“The APC government can best be assessed through socio-economic growth, security and the fight against corruption,” Osinbajo said, even as he commended the founding fathers of the APC for their support to the party and urged them to sustain it for the 2023 general elections.
In his address, Senate President Ahmad Lawan told the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to forget winning in 2023, boasting that the APC had made a strong showing before Nigerians since 2015 which the voters would reward by voting for the party massively again in 2023.
Taunting the PDP, Lawan said: “They said we will not conduct our convention but they can see it now. We are making a statement here today and Nigerian are listening to us.”.
On his part, Buni urged Governor Dave Umahi of Ebonyi, Ben Ayade of Cross River and Bello Matawalle of Zamfara states not to be distracted by the utterances of PDP against them for defecting to the APC.
According to Buni the PDP cannot do anything about their defection anymore, hence the opposition party had resorted to noise-making and judicial window shopping
“Don’t be distracted by what PDP is doing following your defection to the largest party in Africa,” Buni stressed.
Buni said the APC under his watch had recorded many milestones, including securing the APC National Secretariat named after the President as “Buhari House”.
“I want to thank all APC faithful for your support and I want you to extend same to the incoming National Working Committee,” Buni begged.
Leave a Reply