Details have emerged from the South-East All Progressives Congress (APC) stakeholders meeting held in Owerri, Imo State capital on Tuesday.
Naijaonpoint reports that the meeting was chaired by the National Chairman of the APC, Abdullahi Ganduje.
In his address during the meeting, Ganduje urged members of the party in the South-East to reconcile and forgive each other, emphasizing the importance of unity within the party and encouraging cooperation with the newly appointed South-East APC coordinator, Governor Hope Uzodimma of Imo State, to achieve common goals and strengthen the party in the region.
Ganduje, represented by Deputy National Chairman, South, Emma Enukwu, expressed gratitude for the successful event and highlighted Governor Uzodimma’s positive impact in the Southeast.
He said: “The National Chairman had told me he wanted to congratulate the Imo people for the winning of 27/27 in the last governorship elections and kudos to the people of Imo State. The party will soon start e-registration; the last one we did we registered over 80 million. The e-registration will be biometric. The Chairman of the governors and the coordinator of the South-East will lead the e-registration exercise.
“The party is working towards making sure that each ward and LGA has functional offices, and that is the usual way to make sure that we are at the grassroots. The most important thing is the reconciliation; we need to join the national grid, and the only way to do it is to join the national grid. All we are doing is to make sure that at least the APC produced the President of Nigeria. The chairman has asked me to tell you to reconcile yourselves, forgive yourselves and work together.”
Our People Have Not Recovered From Sentiment Of Civil War – Uzodimma
In his remark, Governor Uzodimma, who happens to be the event’s host, expressed concerns that the people of the South-East have not recovered from the sentiment of the civil war.
He acknowledged that the stakeholders’ meeting holds immense significance and symbolism.
The APC chieftain went on to commend President Bola Tinubu for recognizing the delicate state of affairs in the South-East, as well as the national chairman for acknowledging the severe marginalization of the region and actively working towards its upliftment.
He said: “What I have seen in this hall made me drop my written speech so that I can talk to my people heart-to-heart and because of the level of attendance. We thank God. This meeting is strategic and symbolic. I commend the President for understanding the precarious situation in the South-East and also the national chairman who understood the South-East is grossly marginalized and he is working to de-marginalize the zone.
“In today’s South-East the setback caused by the civil war should have provoked a new appetite to promote activities of the South-East.
“Somehow our people have not recovered from the sentiment of the civil war. Given the current situation we must challenge ourselves and leave lamentations and move forward.
“In APC, our task now is to connect to the national grid. The country was formed on a three tripod the Igbo, Hausa and Yoruba, the two legs have decided to move forward and expand and the one leg which is the Igbo is shrinking. We must stop pulling ourselves down. Let us forgive ourselves. And let us support President Bola Tinubu in his policies and programmes. The Federal government has supported the state governments with palliatives.
“We are going round the South-East to reconcile all our members in the five states of the region. I have been given this assignment. I will not allow the South-East to languish because someone somewhere is gossiping.”
Governor of Ebonyi State, Ogbonna Nwifuru, who was represented by his deputy, Patricia Onyemachi, said: “We need brotherhood. We need to put our house together. We need to use our talents, and what we have to move our party and the South-East forward.”