From Okey Sampson, Umuahia
A chieftain of the All Progressive Congress (APC) in Abia State, Prince Benjamin Apugo, has said his party will completely wipe out the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in the South-East come 2023.
Apugo who stated this at the weekend in his Ibeku-Umuahia country home after the APC Membership Revalidation Committee visited him for capturing in the party’s new register said PDP was living on borrowed time.
He predicted that PDP would soon collapse into APC in all the states of South-East, claiming that the zone has realized its grave mistake of rejecting a ruling party.
However, when reminded of the growing feeling among Ndigbo that the South-East has suffered its worst political exclusion under the current APC-led federal government, Apugo said it was a misconception.
He dismissed as misguided claims in some quarters that President Muhammadu Buhari has not been fair to Ndigbo in terms of appointments into sensitive public positions.
Apugo said that the recently appointed Chief of Defense Staff, Maj-Gen Leo Iraboh, from Delta State is Igbo contrary to some misconceptions in some quarters.
He thanked APC leadership for the on-going membership revalidation exercise and pledged to support the party claim Abia come 2023.
The leader of the committee, Ambassador Bala Mohammed Mairiga, described Apugo as one of the critical stakeholders of APC in the country, hence the decision of the party to re-register him in his house.
He said the membership revalidation exercise was not meant to witch-hunt anybody but to give everyone including those “who joined or are joining” the party newly equal opportunity ahead of 2023.
Mairiga said that the exercise which would fully begin on Tuesday across the state had so far recorded tremendous success.
APC Chairman in the state Hon Donatus Nwankpa, who was part of the delegation, said APC was set to capture both Abia State and the entire South-East zone following the increasing number of politicians of substance defecting to the party in the recent times.
