Congresses: Odigie-Oyegun charges new state chairmen on President Buhari re-election

*Names Sen. Shuaibu head of Party’s reconciliation efforts

* As Mama Taraba makes u-turn, says APC ’ll rule Nigeria forever

The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief John Odigie-Oyegun on Monday charged the newly-inaugurated All Progressives Congress (APC) State Chairmen on the re-election of the Party, particularly President Muhammadu Buhari in the 2019 elections.

“On your (State Chairmen) laps lies the onerous responsibility of returning this party to office for a second term. On your laps to a great extent also lie the return of our dear president to office so that the Change Agenda will have time to settle down to mature and become second nature to the people of our dear nation,” Odigie-Oyegun said while inaugurating returning and newly-elected State Chairmen at the Party’s National Secretariat in Abuja on Monday.

While urging compromise among party stakeholders, the APC National Chairman also named the Party’s Deputy National Chairman (North), Sen. Lawali Shuaibu to head the APC’s reconciliation efforts following issues that arose from recently conducted ward, local government and state congresses.

“There is serious and immediate need for reconciliation. You have seen states like Oyo, Cross River, Delta, Taraba and even Lagos State. Don’t go back and say ‘we have won’. This is not a winner takes all situation. Political parties are not organised in that way. I have set up a team headed by the Party’s Deputy National Chairman (North) and he may have cause to invite some of the states in the next few days.

“It is something that must be done, and if possible, tidied up way before the National Convention. So that we will have as rancour-free a convention as is possible for any political party. Let me emphasise once more, there is need for reconciliation, give and take, compromise and I hope those sitting here will have the courage and expanse of spirit  to embrace those we may think have technically lost out but are still important party members,” he said.

While he expressed gladness over the mix of old and new members, the APC National Chairman equally described the newly-sworn in state executives as a “second generation of a maturing APC”, adding that, “The new one will have the benefit of learning from the old and returning state executives.

The APC National Chairman urged the new state party chairmen to be abreast of major achievements being recorded by the President Muhammadu Buhari administration despite some conflicts within the party ranks, lean national resources and the inherited rot in the system.

“I know and I am aware of the extent of conflict within the party. We are all aware of the disaffection within the party caused to some extent by the reward system. We are also aware nationally of the disaffection out there amongst the people. These are to be expected. When we fought the battle, we had one target and we were representing the people of this nation who had decided they have had enough of that government. Now the narrative is different. We are up there, and we have become the target. So our approach will now be very different and you must now thoroughly ground yourselves on the achievements of this administration. And I want to tell you from the bottom of my heart that great achievements have been recorded.

“Yes we have issues today, yes we have problems today, yes in developmental terms, you cannot perform magic, but the certain assurance is that your government is on the right course. The certain assurance is that the firm foundation has been laid for a country that will now begin to grow and it can only accelerate.

“Inspite of lean resources, your government has been able to achieve much more in three years than any of its predecessors. That is something you can talk about and defend with actual achievements. What is important is the basic foundation of this nation which was totally destroyed by the past administration,” he said.

Odigie-Oyegun highlighted achievements in agriculture, infrastructure (particularly rail) and power generation.

“Today for many months we have achieved steady electricity production of 7000 megawatts. And by the time the other stations come onstream and the distribution system which is being upgraded is finally switched on, more and more of what we generate will start to reach our houses and the various industrial undertakings.

“Why is this important? It is critical and that is why when you look at past administrations, the $16bilion that was spent on power and we got nothing, you wonder if they truly love this country. How many people can government employ, very little. But if you supply the people with power, the blacksmith will employ people, the welder will employ people and by the time different small-scale industries employ, you would have almost solved the problem of this country. Power is critical and your government has taken very definite steps to address this problem,” he said.

Ahead of the 2019 General Elections, Odigie-Oyegun warned against the Party’s complacency despite the fact that the APC remains the only viable party in the country.

“We must not as a party for any reason be complacent, but thank God we have some months to go and I can say with confidence that in this country, there is only one party and that is the APC. But don’t let that lure us into complacence. We must go out there and convince the people that this government is working and that this government is going to take us to the promise land,” he said

Mama Taraba makes u-turn, says APC’ll rule Nigeria forever

Meanwhile, in what appeared like a backtrack from his earlier decision not to support the re-election of President Muhammadu Buhari, Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development, Senator Aisha Jummai Alhassan, expressed optimism that the ruling APC “will rule Nigeria forever,” assuring that her party will win more states in 2019.

Speaking with journalists on the sidelines of the inauguration of the state chairmen, the minister, popularly called Mama Taraba, said the party’s coming National Convention would go without glitches as the current crisis in the APC was normal in every big political party across the world.

She said: “Crisis is normal in a big party like APC. Once we can do our national convention, then we face the opposition PDP and I assure you that APC will win more states like Taraba in 2019.

“I  will make sure that in my zone, I follow up and by God’s grace, Gombe and Taraba will be taken over in 2019, and don’t even talk about Nigeria because its already APC and it will continue to be APC forever.”

While making her ambition to re-contest governorship election in 2019, Mama Taraba said she actually won the election in 2015, adding that it was destined that she won’t be governor.

“I won the 2015 election, everyone knows that, even the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and I will re-contest the election again in 2019 if God keeps me alive and well.

“It is God that gives power to whoever He desires. I won the election of 2015, but God did not give me power.  I will keep trusting in Him and the grassroots people of Taraba and God willing, I will win the election,” she said.

The minister had last year, stirred the hornets’ nest when she said she would line behind her political godfather, former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, should he decide to vie for the office of the president in 2019 as opposed to supporting her boss, President Buhari, who also has his eyes on the pie.

All of that is however history now as, obviously Atiku, who jumped out of APC and traced his steps back, again, to his former party, PDP, has lost virtually all the hopes that he would be followed by multitudes of loyalists from APC to PDP thereby making the governing party empty, weakened to win the 2019.

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, it will also be recalled, is now linked with history of moving back and front as he once defected from PDP to Action Congress (AC) only for him to move back to PDP he lost election as presidential candidate of the AC.

He also decamped from PDP to APC ahead of 2015 election but lost the chance of making it to candidacy to presidency of the party and now has again decamped back to PDP with the hope that his long time dream of becoming Nigeria’s President through the PDP platform in 2019.

That is also now shaking as the hawks in the PDP may not be disposed towards him as the umbrella party and, much as he appears to now be in the good book of his former boss, Olusegun Obasanjo, it is not certain he will have any clear coast to make the presidential candidate of the coalition party, ADC, lead by the former President.

All of these put together are said to be working in the clear favour of the governing party, APC, to like Mama Taraba said not only win the 2019 elections not only for the Presidency but also in more states of the Federation and rule the country for a long time.