- 2023: PDP Not Alternative to APC – Akpanudoedehe
The All Progressives Congress (APC) has served a strong notice to the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) that, it cannot return to power in a free and fair election because the electorates are intelligent and know that the PDP has nothing to offer Nigerians going by PDP’s antecedents.
The National Secretary of the Caretaker/Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee (CECPC), Sen. John James Akpanudoedehe said this while responding to the vote of confidence passed in the Governor Mai Mala Buni-led CECPC by State Caretaker Chairmen of the party at the APC National Secretariat in Abuja on Thursday.
He said that the achievements of APC administrations at the state and federal levels are glaring and the PDP has no chance of convincing Nigerians to contemplate voting for it.
Sen. Akpanudoedehe added that the sponsoring of some youths by fifth columnists and opposition agents to infiltrate and disorganise the APC has failed.
“Let me thank you (State caretaker chairmen) for being statesmen. I thank all of you for standing up against any youthful exuberance of people who may think to use the name ‘youths’ for destructive purposes.
“Nigerian youths are very brilliant, resourceful people… We had said to ourselves that we were not going to respond because it is not an issue. But we must be very careful not to arm PDP with the bullets against our party. I learnt that the new PDP chairman made a prophecy that we will scatter before April.
“Let me send a message to PDP, if we are talking about replacing APC, it can never be the PDP because Nigerians are too intelligent. Nigerians will still chose APC. Talk is cheap, even when they sponsored crisis throughout Nigeria, we won most by-elections. We inherited insurgency and we have dealt with it. As we speak, not one inch of Nigeria’s territory is being taken over by any group. When PDP were in government, they took over everywhere but today, it is different,” he said.
The APC national scribe said that the administration’s successes against insurgents, bandits and other criminal elements as well as the far-reaching social investments and COVID-19 palliatives for vulnerable Nigerians, payment to pensioners, among other pro-people interventions shows that the President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration is working for the wellbeing of the people.
“Maybe because the President is not the talking type. I am challenging anyone to show me any social intervention programme better than this government. People are collecting alerts for COVID-19 palliatives. Youths, women, civil servants are collecting it,” Akpanudoedehe stated.
Earlier in his remarks, the Caretaker Chairman of the Delta State APC Chapter, Prophet Jones Erue, who spoke on behalf of the Caretaker State Chairmen of the party, said that they came to express their absolute loyalty to the leadership of the Caretaker Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee led by the Governor of Yobe State, Hon. Mai Mala Buni.
He said that all the caretaker chairmen have resolved to stand with the Caretaker Committee and give it every support to succeed in its assignment.
The APC Caretaker State Chairmen rejected any attempt to destabilise and change the leadership of the party by unconstitutional methods.
“We dont know the youths who claimed to have changed the leadership of the party. They are not part of us,” he said.
Prophet Erue said that the state caretaker Chairmen of the party are determined to ensure that the APC wins all future elections at the federal, states and local government areas.
He said that the APC is greater than any individual and members should bear in mind that the party has mechanisms for checking agents of disorder.
