Benjamin Apugo, a member of the All Progressives Congress (APC, Board of Trustees, BoT, from Abia State, has told national leader of the party, Bola Tinubu what to do if he must succeed in reconciling aggrieved members of the party.
Speaking with Daily Sun, Apugo also blamed President Muhammadu Buhari for giving appointments to members of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, instead of empowering his only party members.
He said further that Tinubu must involve members of the new PDP, adding that it was actually members of the opposition party that helped the ruling party win the last election.
He said, “Abia was predominately PDP, no other party had foothold in the state.
“So, if it were 10, 000 votes that Buhari got in the last election; it was former PDP members that believed in us that made it possible. I’m saying this for the president to read.
“You shouldn’t sidetrack the New PDP; it is only Chibuike Amaechi who is from that group that is presently in government.
“Recognition should be given to some people if Buhari is to win the 2019 election. Although he will win all over again, what about the states that are not APC states like Abia?
“We will like to win hands down. The federal government cannot continue to give things that should be given to APC members in the state to the PDP government thereby making the APC members weaker.
“The APC members could have been given the contract of cooking for the school children so as to empower them. The women empowerment is passed through the opposition governor when in actual fact you should use the party machinery.
“In this [Abia] state the PDP is not performing, we don’t know if there is government here or not. Then when you pass all these things through him, how would the New PDP people that worked for you feel?”
“I will advise [Tinubu] him that if he is going to PDP states, he should involve the new PDP members.
“If for instance I go to Kano today to reconcile the people there, I’m not going to achieve anything; it is the Kano people that will reconcile with each other.
“It is quite unfortunate that APC which is in majority in both arms of the National Assembly is today treated as if it is in the minority and it is due to the crisis.
“When talking about reconciliation, members of the new PDP should be given appointment because they are not there. Respect and recognise them when making appointments.”
On going back to PDP, he added, “We can never dream of going back to PDP because it is not the only party in this country. If you do that, you know you are not a politician with moral status.
“People have been saying that people like Saraki and Dogara may go back to PDP, I don’t think they will do that, but if they do that, that will spell their political doom.
“What will they look like even in their states? I’m not talking about what the former vice president, Atiku Abubakar did because we, the new PDP people did not move over to APC with Atiku, and I want to make people know that now. We had already gone there before Atiku joined us.”
Comments