Enugu APC Endorses Buhari for Second Term

By Christopher Isiguzo in Enugu

The Enugu State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) at the weekend formally endorsed President Muhammadu Buhari for a second term in office, insisting that his re-election would guarantee the emergence of an Igbo man as president by 2023.

The party took the decision at its enlarged state executive council, and  stakeholders meeting held at the party’s secretariat in Enugu.

The party also passed a vote-of-confidence on the president and the Dr. Ben Nwoye, led executive committee exco  of the party in the state.

The meeting was attended by several bigwigs of APC in the state, such as the immediate past governor of the state, Sullivan Chime, the Director-General, Voice of Nigeria, (VON) Mr. Osita Okechukwu, former Speaker, Enugu House of Assembly, Hon Eugene Odo, APC 2015 guber candidate, Okey Ezea, South-east APC Publicity Secretary,  Mr. Hyacinth Ngwu, who represented the South-east National Vice Chairman,  Hon. Emma Enukwu, among others.

Okechukwu had called on the party in the state and South-east to support  Buhari for a second term in office because it is  the closest possible gateway to the Igbo presidency in 2023

According to him,  what the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) leadership could not do for the South-east zone throughout its 16-year leadership was now being done by the APC government.

“Ndigbo have hope in APC; if we support President Muhammadu Buhari to complete a two-tenure in 2023, Igbos will have golden opportunity to produce the president because equity and justice will be on our side,” Okechukwu stated.

Ex-Governor Chime in his speech, had  stressed  the need for the members to embrace peace, saying , “APC doesn’t have the luxury of crisis.”

He applauded the decision of the APC NEC to extend the tenure of its leaders, noting that “it would have been the opportunity for enemies to scatter the party. As things are now, what is before us is more important.”

The Enugu APC Chairman, Nwoye, said  for the party to move forward, he had forgiven anyone who offended him, even as  he asked those he may have offended in one way or the other to also  forgive him and join hands in moving the party forward.

While announcing that the party would field candidates in all elective positions in 2019, the state chairman  said: “The Lion Building is our target, and in sure that, we must also make ensure that President Buhari gets the highest votes that will be cast in Enugu State.

“We have the power and all it takes to confront the PDP in 2019,” he added but cautioned against sabotaging the plans of the party by some members.

“If there is anybody here who will support the election of a PDP candidate, this is not a place for you, you should leave us; what we want is purely candidates of APC extraction.

“We must drop our egos and focus on winning elections. In the interest of the party, I tender unreserved apology to those I may have offended by my words and actions. By the same token, I have forgiven those who offended me by their conducts. These include those who filed false cases against me in the DSS, EFCC, courts, among others.