Still wallowing in the euphoria its registration by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, the All Progressives Congress, APC, Tuesday, challenged the rejected African People’s Congress to seek a new name and apply for registration if it was keen on being a party.
Chairman of the APC Merger Committee, Chief Tom Ikimi, who threw the challenge at the phantom APC while speaking to Vanguard in Abuja, noted that the rejected group was being propelled by forces within the Peoples Democratic Party to seek to thwart the registration of APC for selfish reasons.
Ikimi, a former Foreign Affairs Minister, said that with the formal registration of APC by the INEC, the issue of who is real or fake had been laid to rest and that it was left for the rejected group to seek a new name if it was genuinely interested in being registered as a political party in Nigeria.
He said, “With the registration of APC, it is very clear who is fake and not. The fake APC should seek a new name and go for registration if indeed it wants to be registered as a party in the country.”
Ikimi, who took a swipe at the profiling of the new party by the PDP as a convergence of expired politicians, argued that it was not the place of Doyin Okupe, the Presidential spokesman on Public Affairs to judge the APC but the Nigerian people, who have been under the heavy yoke imposed on the nation by the misrule of the PDP in the last 14 years.
Ikimi, who is also the South-South National Vice Chairman of the APC, noted that the PDP was a harbinger of people who were good at making promises just to win the votes of exasperated Nigerians but good at delivering poverty and hardship to the populace since it came to power.
The former minister announced that APC would contest the Anambra governorship election in November and expressed optimism that it would win if the forces allowed a free and fair election.
While commending INEC for its courage in registering the APC, Ikimi however called on the commission to provide a conducive atmosphere for a free and fair election to thrive in 2015.
“We look forward to interesting times ahead, of a healthy political engagement between two national political parties that present alternative choices to our people,’’ Ikimi said.
“Peaceful change of power is a wind that is blowing across the globe and all over Africa now. Apart from France and Italy in the advanced democracies we have here in West Africa-ECOWAS region, examples in Ghana, Sierra Leone and Senegal where the opposition has successfully replaced sitting governments though peaceful elections. It seems to me that Nigeria is yearning now for a peaceful democratic change,” Ikimi stated.
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APC?, ha ha ha ha, well, I don't have a party, but after seeing people like Tom in the new party I am already scared. Are these not same people from PDP who contributed in destroying Nigeria? Hmmmm I dont want what happened in Egypt and Libya to happen in Nigeria oh. The devil you know is better than the Angel you don't know oh
ReplyDeleteTom Ikimi, three GBOSA for you.
ReplyDelete@ Anonymous above, what is happening in Egypt can as well happen in Nigeria no wahala perhaps, that could be the last result for us to liberate ourselves and fight for the next generation.
We must to say no to these unscrupulous leaders; people are suffering in this country.
What is per capita income in this Country?
many Nigerians earn and spend less than N100 per day and ask yourself What is the value of N100.
You shouldn't allow Okonjo Nwela to deceive us for their hocus-pocus talks. Telling us on appreciation of GDP while people are dying of hungry, no job,no security, no justice,nothing.
We have tried our best to tolerate PDP for years of their fruitless efforts, we witnessed no benefit but corruption all over.
Look at the son of Bamangar Tukor for fuel subsidy scam and no one talks and you say we don't need a change. Pa Anini was given Billions of Naira for Road construction when he was a minister of works and no job was executed and nothing happened. we can't continue like this, Nigerians are unhappy unless those few from PDP family members.
The permanent thing on earth is change; let there be a change in this country by flushing out corrupt, visionless PDP.
I was particularly interested in the development of a new party but am disappointed when the major aim of the development is for power to change hands and not the well being of the Nigerian citizen. With all the war of words going on, it is difficult if not impossible to place the new party on a scale. They seem, afterall, just like the old party.
ReplyDeleteHow can APC win any seat in Anambra? Joke of the millenium. PDP needed a stong party with uniform ideology to challenge it but not this one u ppl call APC or ATP. Hiss
ReplyDelete