From Okwe Obi, Abuja
The South East Mandate (SEM), yesterday, denied endorsing any presidential aspirant of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2023 polls.
It noted that a publication sponsored by APC South East Front, which had the name of Senator Julius Ali Ucha, as a supporter of Senate President Ahmad Lawan, should be disregarded.
SEM’s President, Leonard Nworie and Secretary, Gilbert Utobo, in a statement, pointed out that the said advertisment on a tabloid did not contain the signatures of Senator Ucha.
The statement read: “Tongues have started wagging in Southeast following the attempt by some politicians position themselves as a support group for the Presidential ambition of Senate President, Dr. Ahmad Lawan.
“The group going by the name of APC South East Front inadvertently included the name of Senator Julius Ali Ucha, the convener of South East Mandate (SEM).
“Members of South East Mandate, who noticed the name of their convener, started making enquiries only to find out that the group was in a hurry to position themselves as the arrow head of campaigns for Senator Lawan to succeed President Muhammadu Buhari.
“Funny enough, the politicians did not affix signatures of the prominent members of Southeast APC whom they included their names in the advertorial published on page 35 of Daily Trust issue of June 2, 2022.
“The inclusion of the name of Senator Julius Ali Ucha came at a time when the former Chairman, Senate Committee on Works was protesting the allocation of votes in a parallel APC governorship primary in Ebonyi State, which he did not attend or subscribe to.
“It is possible that the promoters of APC South East Front belong to the rival APC faction that organised a parallel governorship primary and listed Ucha as one of the aspirants.
“That all these shenanigans are intended to create the impression that Senator Ucha was abandoning the South East Mandate is not in doubt.
“However, we the members of South East Mandate, wishes to plead with politicians, especially those from Southeast to exercise caution in their political behaviour, messages and utterances.
“We at the South East Mandate believe that since President Muhammadu Buhari has indicated his intention to guide the party through the process of selecting the APC Presidential candidate, every loyal party man or woman should wait the President’s directive.
“As the leader of the party, we do not think that it is helpful to do things that could amount to challenging the authority of the President for that would not be in the over all interest, stability and cohesion of the party.
“It is on record that the convener of South East Mandate, Distinguished Senator Julius Ali Ucha, enjoys a cordial relationship with his brother Senator, Dr. Ahmad Lawan and other worthy Presidential aspirants, but it is necessary that we await the decision of President and the party.
“Overzealousness does not sit well with the aims and aspirations of South East Mandate, which revolves around decent politics and empathic humanity.
“While we would not want to make issues with Daily Trust, it is our candid view and demand that publications such as the resolutions by APC South East Front should contain the signatures of persons that endorsed the publication.”