Umuahia – The National Chairman of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Chief Victor Umeh, has urged the President-elect, Maj.-Gen. Mohammadu Buhari (rtd), to implement the report of the National Conference.
Umeh made the call on Wednesday in Umuahia, while briefing newsmen on the outcome of the March 28 Presidential and National Assembly polls in the South east.
He said that the implementation of the report, especially the recommendation for the creation of additional state for the zone, would give the people a sense of belonging in the country.
He assured Buhari that the Ndigbo did not hate him but voted for President Goodluck Jonathan ‘’because he assured us that he would implement the report of the national conference.’’
‘’Buhari should not see Ndigbo as his enemies. The Igbos were looking for somebody who will address the problem of marginalisation since the end of the war.’’
He said that the zone had suffered marginalization for a long time and needed a president ‘’who will help to rehabilitate the Igbo people after what they suffered during the war.
‘’We pray that God will use Buhari to address our plight,’’ he said, promising that Ndigbo would support his administration, if he could address issues affecting them.
He further urged Jonathan to reward Ndigbo for their support for his administration by ensuring that the people were allowed to elect leaders of their choice.
The APGA national chairman alleged that the people’s vote in the March 28 election did not count because the ruling People’s Democratic Party used the military and other security operatives to subvert the wishes of the people expressed through the ballot.
‘’The only way Jonathan can reciprocate the support of the Igbo people is to allow them to elect governors and law makers of their choice.’’
He further urged him not to support the incumbent PDP governors to foist their surrogates on the people as their successors.
He said that the unit results of the last election showed that the people voted massively for APGA but expressed regret that the votes did not count due to a “high powered conspiracy to manipulate the results by PDP, along with some officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission and security operatives.
‘’What we saw during the March 28 poll was total militarization of the entire electoral process in the South- East, which provided a safe ground for PDP-government to rig the results in their favour,’’ he said.
Umeh also spoke on the quality of the party’s flag-bearer in Abia, Dr. Alex Otti, describing him as ‘’the best candidate the party can offer the state.
‘’Otti is the best suitable candidate to revamp Abia,’’ he said, adding that ‘’Otti has the managerial capability and the reach to transform the state.
‘’I call on all Abia people to look inward and elect the best hand for the governorship position,’’ he said, urging them not to succumb to intimidation during the April 11 polls.
‘’APGA is desperately looking for capable hands to support Gov. Willie Obiano of Anambra to rebuild the Igboland and Otti is one of such materials.’’
He said that with the defeat of the PDP at the national level, it was time for Ndigbo to form a formidable support for the emergence of APGA governors, who could help to rebuild the area. (NAN)
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