By Amby Uneze in Owerri
Despite that the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) is yet to come out from the challenges it faces presently as a result of complaints of shortchanging aspirants particularly in Imo State, the party’s Vice Presidential candidate, Chief Jerry Chukwueke has assured Nigerians that the party would win in at least five states of the federation in 2019 general elections.
Chukwueke who is also the Chairman of the National Reconciliation Committee set up by the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party to reconcile all aggrieved members who felt vexed over the fallout of the just concluded party primaries said that the states being targeted include Imo, Abia, Benue, Taraba and Nassarawa.
He pointed out that APGA had come to fill the yawning gap which the PDP and APC had failed to provide for the people of the country in the past nearly 20 years of their colossally failed leadership.
According to him, PDP had failed the nation for the past 16 years and APC couldn’t get her acts together for the past three and half years it had been in the saddle then it was time to enthrone APGA that is the beautiful bride in town.
He added that tribe and religion were not enemy of the country but poverty, which according to him, was the cardinal message of APGA in 2019 election as it would tackle headlong poverty and insecurity in the country.
“APGA is committed in reducing cost of governance to at least by 10 per cent. It is unfortunate that the two major parties are not talking about it; they are more concerned with selling our oil and making use of its proceeds.
“It is also unfortunate that they are not talking about security because their leaders are part of those sponsoring insecurity and other notorious outfits that cause mayhem across the country,” he stated.
Chukwueke, who hails from Owerri North in Imo State, however, invited Nigerians to be part of the APGA project, noting that while the other two political parties were busy stockpiling billions of Naira to prosecute the 2019 general elections, he enjoined Nigerians to be part of the project by donating their widow’s mite as stakeholders of the Nigerian project.
He used the opportunity to appeal to aggrieved members of the party to sheath their swords and come together to work for victory of the party, adding that it was impossible to give governorship ticket to the over 28 governorship aspirants at the same time.
“We are pleading with all our brothers and sisters who are aggrieved to come back and work together to enthrone APGA in Imo State government house. We shall also go to Abia State and other states for the same message,” he said.
Among the terms of reference include, to take steps to hear from and collate the alleged grievances of all aspirants in connection with the party’s primary elections across the country, especially in the South East; to take measures to bring back into the party all the aggrieved aspirants that have left the party as a result of the outcome of the primary election; and to take steps to ensure those aspirants threatening to leave the party do not do so.
In his acceptance speech, the Party’s Presidential candidate, John Wilson Gbor noted that his government would focus on job creation, promotion of national security and empowerment of Nigerians.
“The APGA-led Federal Government, under my leadership, will promote the emergence of viable, competitive and sustainable economic entities that will be wealth-creation, job opportunities, social harmony and national security-oriented. The devolution of power envisaged under our restructuring template will empower the federating units to exploit the natural resources within their respective domains to develop their economies for the well-being of their people.
“Let me say, at this point, that those who instill the fear into Nigerians that restructuring will lead to disintegration are being dishonest. The truth is that fiscal federation and national unity are not mutually exclusive. What a restructured Nigeria will achieve is that, we shall move away from the “cake sharing” formula, which breeds laziness and rent-seekers to cake baking, which unleashes the creative energies of Nigerians, especially our youths, “Gbor added.
