APC may lose next general election – Defunct CPC leaders warns

• Backs Al-Makura for party chairman

By Ikechukwu Okaforadi

Leaders of the defunct Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) yesterday cautioned that the ruling party may lose the 2023 general election if the party does not do the needful to ensure that a formidable and popular candidate emerges as the chairman of the party at its forthcoming National Convention scheduled for March 26.

The group said also that the next chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) must come from its bloc as one of the legacy parties that formed the ruling party.

Secretary of the group, Okoi Ofem Obono-Obla, flanked by the National Coordinator, Malam Salihu Yusuf, and other leaders of the defunct party, said 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.

They noted that the defunct CPC chieftains collectively endorsed the aspirations of Senator Umaru Tanko Al-makura as the next chairman of APC.

Okono-Obla, a 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 Almakura’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”.

The former presidential aide described Al-makura as “an embodiment of the finest values and leadership capabilities. 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. 

On the division within the defunct CPC bloc given that two of its chieftains Mustapha Salihu and Senator Al-makura have conflicting interest on the APC chairmanship slot, Okono-Obla said “anybody can have the interest to contest but we have settled for Al-makura.”