By Solomon Johnny
What is APC in Akwa Ibom State without Dr John Udoedehe, Group
Capt Sampson Ewang, Rt Hon Emmanuel Ekpenyong, Dr Udoma Bob Ekarika, Bar Joe
Ukpong...
Prof Itsey Sagay spoke:
“I am an accomplished man long before any appointment. I am not
a “come and chop” politician like you lot. My loyalty is to the president and
not to the party which has continued to fail under the leadership of Chief John
Odigie-Oyegun. To start with, I am not a ‘come and chop’ person as you are. I
did not come to ‘chop’; so the party is not doing me a favor. You are the ones
that have come to ‘chop.
Secondly, my criticism of APC is not against President
Muhammadu Buhari who I think is a man of great honor, integrity and whom I
admire and who inspires me. I took this job because of Buhari and Osinbajo, who
I admire greatly. The people I am referring to in my criticism are John
Odigie-Oyegun and one Bolaji Abdullahi, who is (Senate President Bukola)
Saraki’s Man Friday. They are dining with the devil who wants to destroy the
party.
They are appeasers, who are acting the way (former) British Prime
Minister, Neville Chamberlain, appeased Adolf Hitler and in the process, they
will destroy the party because they are weak and unable to confront evil and
they will end up helping that Hitler to destroy the party. What is APC without
Buhari, Osinbajo and Tinubu? The Oyegun-led executive, which is doing a policy
of appeasement, will destroy the party.”
So in Akwa Ibom State, I am asking what is APC without Senator
John Udoedehe, founding father of Action Congress of Nigeria and 2011
gubernatorial candidate of the party, BoT member of APC, he led the ACN team in
Akwa Ibom State to the merger to form APC; Group Capt Sampson Ewang, BoT member
of APC, gubernatorial candidate of the All Nigerian Peoples Party, ANPP and
Leader of the ANPP team in Akwa Ibom State to the merger to form APC; Rt Hon
Emmanuel Ekpenyong, Dr Udoma Bob Ekarika, Bar Joseph Ukpong...?
I did not see these men yesterday at the APC rally. Strictly speaking, it's a
blunder to talk about change in any progressive political setting in Akwa Ibom
State without these men leading the debates. In fact, it conjures fraud and
mischief to even the gullible and a shallow minded crowd.
APC is talking about change. The major problem the party shall
have as the debates for 2019 begin, shall be that of sameness with the PDP, the
party its current promoters seek to change in Akwa Ibom State. That sameness
which creates a picture of one package, one product in two packs, is sure to
hinder that anticipated change. If APC wants to be taken seriously, it must
endeavor to show that it is not PDP in APC ideologically and in physical
elements with regards to those they are promoting as symbols of change.
On the whole, I was impressed at the crowd yesterday. Though
crowd in politics does not translate to automatic victory, it shows what APC
can achieve, the height it can get to in Akwa Ibom State if she respects the
structures, the foundation upon which the party was built. (I would have bowed
my head in shame if it was anything less, the organisers did a great job) PDP
would have gone solo,in fact extinct if all her (APC) material/human resources
in this state were pulled together for the general course of having a change of
government.
I was very disappointed that I hardly found any credible speaker
from the entourage from Abuja. The National chairman of the party is a mess and
a big minus and an apology to the APC as a party. I had expected the 19
Governors of the party who moved against him to perfect it by sacking him
during the last NEC meeting of the party attended by President Buhari in Abuja.
His continued stay as national chairman of our great party is not helping
matters because under his watch, even President Buhari, the symbol of the party
is going down in popularity according to recent rating because, there is no
strategic support and backup plan from the party to the President's reformation
agenda especially in his fight against corruption basically because, the
national chairman is too weak, clueless and seems to feed from corruption
himself. He has not been able to rescue the party and under his watch, very
strange buccaneers have invaded the party, hijacked it and sank it in crises
and despondency. He lost my respect long time ago because he is moved by
everything and holds on to nothing that secures the party.
Hilliard Etta, South South National Vice-chairman who brags? Con
artist, a very opportunistic fellow who contested and lost councillorship poll
in Cross Rivers State but became refurbished, drafted and sponsored by Dr John Udoedehe into
the position he occupies today and uses it against the man. Like my State
Chairman, Dr Amadu Attai he
belongs to the "pay as you want to go" leadership blog in the APC who
know no principle, conscience or morality. Their language is money to the
detriment of their party members, friends and associates. Thus, hungry and very
poor as they were, it became very easy for them to be caricatured and used by
very corrupt PDP elements Lording over the party now.
It would have been fine if either President Buhari or his vice,
Vice President Yemi Osinbajo attended the event. Their presence would have added
credibility to the gathering much better than those working on stashed borrowed
robes who cannot openly talk about so many problems in Akwa Ibom State because
clearly, they are part of the problems and benefitted from it.
I want to congratulate both the chairmanship and councillorship
candidates of our great party who got their flags yesterday ahead of the
December 2017 Local Government election in Akwa Ibom State. My heart goes out
to you and our battered party. I wish you all the very best hoping that your
efforts brings you success you so desire.
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