Buhari’s name won’t win 2023 election, Udoedehe tells APC faithful

Secretary of the All Progressives Congress Caretaker Committee, Senator John Akpan Udoedehe has advised members of the party not to relent in galvanising support for the ruling party.

Senator Udoedehe gave the advice on Wednesday when members of Coalition of the APC Support Groups, led by Mr Frank Ossai, paid him a courtesy visit at the APC National Secretariat in Abuja.

While he assured them that the interim leadership of the party led by Yobe State governor,   Mai Mala Buni would address their grievances by reviewing the party reward system, the Secretary of the Caretaker Committee said the ordinary party faithful and chieftains of the APC would need to make extra efforts to sell the party at the next general elections as he noted that President Buhari would no longer be on the ballot.

Udoedehe said:” Owing to your contribution to the party, we will integrate and reconcile aggrieved members to ensure that they are part of the party system.

“All of you in national politics, make sure that you are relevant in your wards, you are relevant in your local governments, you are relevant in your states. In 2023, the personality of Buhari will not be on the ticket. “Nobody would have the opportunity to hide under the integrity of President Muhammadu Buhari in the general elections”.

Earlier in his remarks, Comrade Ossai maintained that members of his group were disenchanted as those who toiled for the party to win elections were left stranded without party patronage.

“Since 2015, we from the south-south and other geopolitical zones we know what it means to have APC as your surname.

“We have members of our groups who were shot dead and some who lost members of their families in 2015 and 2019 general elections.

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“Up till today,  most of us have not been rewarded because they say it is where you work,  that is where you chop.

“We are grateful that you are on board today to promote peace and unity in our party.

“I want to convey to you that our members should be rewarded and put into the activities of the party like in the forthcoming Ondo state general election.”

Ossai further recalled that members of his group who played key roles in the emergence of the last set of national officers were sidelined after the  2018 National Convention.

He said appeals to the Comrade Adams Oshiomhole led National Working Committee fell on deaf ears.

“After the Convention,  some of our members particularly those who contested expressed their grievances through the appeal committee.

“And the appeal committee in its wisdom recommended that the party’s National Working Committee (NWC) should carry our members along especially those who contested in that convention.  These were not done by the NWC.”

Comrade Ossai appealed to the APC Caretaker Committee to look into the Appeal Committee report led by Senator  Ken Nnamani on the grievances of the  2018 national convention contestants.

“I believe that the report is still with the party. The new APC Caretaker Committee should look into it and see how they can reconcile our members who are aggrieved to come and work for the party.”

NIGERIAN TRIBUNE