All Progressives Congress (APC) not interested in instituting a one - party state

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has
said that it is not interested in instituting
a one-party state in the country and will
not deploy its arsenal towards anything
that is undemocratic.
A member of the party’s Board of
Trustees (BoT), Sir Olisaemeka
Akamukali, who stated the party’s
position in an exclusive chat with
LEADERSHIP was reacting to the recently
held run up polls in Rivers and Gombe
States where the Peoples Democratic
Party (PDP) won massively.
The statutory caucus member also
maintained that elections in these areas
were not a true reflection of the strength
of APC, even as he said the party is still
strong and will go on to win the 2019
elections.
Akamukali further stated that while
politics was about winning some and
losing some, the party would restrategise
to win elections in those states in the
nearest future.
He said, “So far, there have been
elections in Ondo, Edo, and a by-election
in Edo to replace the former seat of the
current deputy governor and we won.
Even in the last Rivers senatorial rerun,
we won some and lost some.
“Politics is about winning some and
losing some. Nigerians should not be
thinking that APC is here to institute a
one-party state; hence, there must be a
government in power and an opposition
party. PDP should be there so that they
can play good opposition but that does
not mean that the party (APC) is weak.
“The party is very strong, but all parties
have their catchment areas and I think
what happened in Rivers and Gombe is a
lesson for us. We will bounce back and
see how we will reclaim them later. The
bottom line is that despite their victories,
we are still in control of the two houses
at the centre”.
‘80% Of New Parties Before INEC Owned
By PDP Members’
As the leadership crisis in the Peoples
Democratic Party (PDP) continues
unabated, national chairman of the
National Unity Party (NUP), Chief Perry
Opara, has disclosed that 80 per cent of
political associations waiting to be
registered by Independent National
Electoral Commission (INEC) are owned
by members of the PDP.
He also described plans to register the
contentious Advanced PDP as a “huge
joke that will not be achieved,” just as he
said the same fate awaits another mega
party, Action Democratic Party (ADP).
Although INEC had maintained that they
register parties based on transparency
devoid of sentiments, national chairman
of the PDP, Sen Ali Modu Sheriff, told
LEADERSHIP that he will not be surprised
if such allegations were true.
The national chairman warned that any
attempt to register any party, including
the APDP with the PDP franchise will be
resisted through a legal process.
So far, over 70 political associations
have applied to be registered by INEC,
including the contentious APDP.
It was widely alleged that APDP is
projected to serve as a backup plan for
the Sen Ahmed Makarfi-led group in case
the ongoing political solution led by
former president Goodluck Jonathan fails
or if they (Makarfi’s group) fails to
secure victory at the Supreme Court,
where they are challenging the
judgement of the Court of Appeal which
recognised Sheriff as the legitimate
national chairman of PDP.
But speaking exclusively to LEADERSHIP
yesterday, Opara, a former PDP chieftain
said, “Do your investigation at the INEC.
The commission has said 75 political
groups have applied to be registered as
political parties. I can tell you that 80
per cent of those political associations
are being floated by members of the PDP.
That means the soul of the party has
left.”
The NUP chairman who expressed doubt
about the registration of APDP and ADP
said, “APDP is a huge joke. It is
something that can never be achieved.
INEC won’t register them. Now, we have
ADP, APDP and PDP. By the little
knowledge I have of political party
registration, these parties will find it very
difficult.”
He, however, admonished the PDP to
sheathe its sword and abide by the
appellate court judgment which
recognised Sheriff as chairman, even as
he also ruled out the possibility of PDP
returning to power in 2019, saying all the
fragments were together yet they lost
power in 2015.
His words: “They should sheathe their
sword, come together and rebuild the
umbrella. The flagrant disregard of court
judgment will not help anybody.
“In a couple of months, parties will start
preparing for primaries in states and
local governments. It took the PDP
almost one year to get judgment in
Appeal Court. It will take them another
one year to get judgment at the Supreme
Court.”