Romanus Ugwu, Abuja
Chairman of Ebonyi State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Pastor Eze Nwachukwu Eze, has warned that changing the national and state leadership of the ruling party would spell doom and disaster for the party in the 2019 general elections.
Pastor Nwachukwu spoke to Daily Sun on telephone while reacting to the controversies trailing the extension of the tenure of executives.
He insisted that there are possibilities that the party would produce parallel executives at all levels.
He further warned that the spate of litigation that would trail the congresses and the likelihood of the party fielding two candidates for a particular position would threaten the chances of APC winning any election in 2019.
Said he, “The tenure elongation NEC approved for the party was a well thoughtful move towards winning the 2019 general elections. The decision is good and will ensure peace and unity in the party.
“We should not forget in a hurry that the problem which made it impossible for the PDP to recover till today was going into the 2015 general elections as a divided party. Some of the governors and chieftains of the party had left PDP very close to the 2015 general election.
“Looking at the crisis in many states, which I consider a family affair for now, if we don’t want it to degenerate more than this, we should allow the national and state executives to serve out the 12 months extension.
“After the general elections, when tempers must have died down, we can now have enough time to conduct congresses in all the states and national levels and whatever might be the outcome of them can be resolved before the 2023 general elections.
“Let me appeal to some of the aggrieved individuals to sacrifice private interest and support the party to succeed. We have come a long way to work together for the overall interest of the party,” he pleaded.
Speaking further, he appealed that; “It won’t be easy for some of us in the state without the APC as the government in power. If it has been very difficult for us to cope in funding the party, it will even be tougher conducting state congresses.”
“Some of the party chieftains that are supposed to be given appointments have not been appointed. I can categorically tell you that some of the states under PDP will produce opposition party-sponsored persons as APC state executive.
“Let me also say that we are going to end up producing parallel APC executives from the wards to the national level. We will play into the hands of the PDP and the Obasanjo’s Third Force. This will not be good for the APC in the 2019 general election,” he warned.
Asked categorically the effects of the crisis on the party for the 2019 general elections, he maintained that “If APC conducts congresses and come out of it as divided house, it will be difficult for us to win the 2019 elections because the cooperation and cohesion that helped us win the 2015 elections will not be there.
“In fact, we may not come out of the volume of litigation that might trail the congresses before the elections. We may produce two candidates in one election next year.
“The best thing to happen for the APC to make appreciable impact in the 2019 general elections would be to allow the current national and state leadership to continue.
“Mark my word, APC will struggle to win any election in 2019 if we go into the election as a divided party. We must avoid the mistake of going into the 2019 elections with litigation and divisions,” he insisted.