Romanus Ugwu, Abuja

President Muhammadu Buhari has directed the national leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to raise a unity list for the June 23 party’s National Convention to avoid any rancorous situation that might greet the conduct and outcome of the exercise.

Immediate past secretary of the National Convention committee, Senator Ben Uwajumogu, told Daily Sun in an exclusive chat in Abuja that the directive would arrest the challenges that might affect the exercise.

He said that though he has no regret quitting his position as the chief scribe of the convention planning committee, he would have loved to conduct the convention.

Asked the challenges he envisaged ahead of the convention, he said: “The challenges they will face include lots of political interests expectedly associated with elections.

“There is no way you organise such elections without facing difficulties. However, the good thing is that the President has requested that every zone should come up with a unity list.

“I thought the South East was going to face the biggest difficulty in agreeing to such zoning arrangements because of the disagreement with the only governor in the South East, but when we finally come together during a meeting involving all the party leaders from the South East with the exception of Governor Okorocha, we finally agreed on the unity list from the South East with a vote of confidence on the national leadership.

“I don’t think finance and funding will be a problem because the party is ready. I am aware that the committee budget will be met because what we have already from the party should be enough. Again, all of us are ready to make sacrifices,” he said.

On whether he has any regret resigning as the secretary he said: “I don’t really have any regret because I am very proud and appreciative of the fact that I was chosen among the five states of the South East geopolitical zone.

“However, I would have wished that I had continued and finished the convention. If the convention had held today, I would have finished it. I will however admit that there is no way you move such move like resignation without having regrets.

“I really truly wished I had finished this convention but these are the political realities facing us,” he said.