Home NEWS POLITICS Why All Igbos Should Join APC – Gov Uzodinma Of Imo State

Why All Igbos Should Join APC – Gov Uzodinma Of Imo State

Gov. Hope Uzodinma | Credit: PMExpress

Imo State governor, Hope Uzodinma, has asked all Igbo speaking people in the southeast to join en-mass, the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to remain relevant in the nation’s scheme of things.

Governor Uzodimna, who spoke to newsmen today, November 27, after a meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari at the presidential villa, Abuja said: “I think if it’s possible for all of us to belong to the APC since the APC as I speak to you now has the best political manifesto, programmes and government in power, I see nothing wrong in all of us joining APC based on conviction not that you are coerced into joining APC.

“Everybody that is not in the APC now in the southeast is a target. It’s not only governors. It includes those who are not governors, the entire political class. The whole idea is making the ideology of the party known to the people, allaying their fears, and encouraging them to come.

“Once you believe in Nigeria and you have a pan-Nigeria attitude, of course, you will go for a national party. There is no gainsaying that if you are not with the national party, and you choose to be in opposition, of course, you will continue to fast (go hungry) until God answers your prayers.

“But we that are in the ruling, of course, what it will take us to solve certain problems may be different from what it will take somebody who is not very close to the source of authority to solve his own problems.”

“But if you voluntarily come into APC, our dream is to have every citizens of Nigeria become a member of our party because we have to be ambitious.”

The Imo state governor said that the APC’s desire is to have as many as possible politicians within its rank as a national party to encourage national unity and cohesion.

“Well, I must count myself very lucky. After I emerged as APC governor, I used to be an orphan. You will agree with me I have a brother now, who is also in APC.

“My hope is that the region will see the reason and the wisdom in coming over to the ruling party because the ruling party is a national party.

“There is no way you can compare what your people will get in an opposition party to what they will get from the ruling party. APC is the ruling party which has access to the federal government. And because our preaching and gospel has always been how to unite Nigeria, how to encourage national unity, national integration, and national cohesion.

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“It will be more cost effective to have my people, the people of southeast see reason and join APC, the national party. I’m very optimistic that gradually, we will get there. It’s a matter of convincing our people, which we are doing.”

Asked whether the APC’s drive for opposition politicians is to achieve a one-party state, he said: “I don’t think so. if you recall our history from 1999 till date, you will agreee with me that at a time PDP had 28 states and they were still looking to remove the very few states of the other parties.

“Now how many states do we have as APC? And the whole thing about politics is like evangelism. Every serious political party must have an expansionist mentality to expand their membership.

“I think we will continue to encourage our people because the whole idea is that once the idealogy is right, the system is working, nobody wants to go to a war that he will lose. So, you join those who are winning.

“What we are doing in the south East as a party is carrying the message of the party. Before this time some of us beloved that we should have marketed the ideologies and policies better than the past leadership did.

“What we are trying to do is to explain to our people the need to see that this Nigerian project belongs to all of us and if you jump out of the train, don’t accuse anybody of pushing you out of the train.

“It is not about whether you want to be president now or not. You don’t get presidential ticket by the market square, it is the decision of the political party, you must be loyal to your political party.

“So, I know that my brother Umahi is politically strong in the southeast and joining APC would add to the value of the party in my region, but he never told me he is coming because he will be president.

“So, I want the people who want to cause confusion and create bad name for Governor Umahi to run run away from that point and then encourage our people who have decided to align with the ruling party.”

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