Romanus Ugwu, Abuja
The members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) professionals registered under the umbrella of APC Professional Forum, have threatened to leave the ruling party en masse should the party continue to ignore them in appointive positions.
The members of the forum comprise technocrats, intellectuals, experts and professionals across all fields, work, disciplines and areas of endeavours that are card carrying members.
Addressing newsmen at the party’s secretariat in Abuja on Monday, the national coordinator, Akeem Akintayo, reminded President Muhammadu Buhari, that there is consequences for failure to reward those that suffered for the party.
“Politics is interest and there is less tension when labourers get their due reward, bearing this in mind, we hereby appeal to the president to further enhance party loyalty and structures by empowering the party’s National Caretaker Committee to nominate those who participated actively to install his government.
“A step in the right direction has been taken, yet we have not got it all right as issues of lack of reward system still lingers on in the party. In the recent past, mostly big names has been rewarded who may not necessarily believe in the founding principle and ideology of our party leaving the grassroots support base with professional and intellectual capacity mostly unrewarded.
“We are unwavering in our repeated call on the President to give greater attention to the grassroots supporters by rewarding them with board’s appointments. Elections are won by the number of motivated grassroots support base, the continued feeling of neglect by majority of those who feel sidelined despite their sacrifices for the party including members of the APC Professional Forum is for us a red flag for the party as we move on to the politics of 2023,” the forum noted.
Appealing further, the group also pleaded the intervention of President Buhari in the executive and legislative fued.
“Like Oliver Twist we find it more urgent to call on the President to improve on reward system as a way of strengthening the party. We also find embarrassing the discordant tune between some members of the executives and legislators.
“Although we appreciate the President’s commitments to give teeth to his words
“I am for no one, I am for everyone,” we also wish to call on the President not to fail to reward those who made enormous sacrifices to campaign and vote for him as party men and women.
“Rewarding these men through an immediate release of board appointment to reward loyal party men and women will go a long way to enhance reconciliation drive by the National Caretaker Committee and strengthen the party beyond 2023,” he said.