A former governorship candidate on the platform of All Progressives Congress (APC) in Imo State during the 2019 election, Uche Nwosu, on Monday, described the poor performance of his party as self-inflicted.
Professor Chukwuma Soludo of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) secured the highest votes in Saturday’s election.
Nwosu, in an interview with selected journalists in Abuja, explained that the declining fortune of the party in the Southeast is a result of the poor reward system that undermined founding fathers and old members of the party in preference of new members.
According to him, the leadership of APC has abandoned those that planted and nurtured the party in the Southeast, saying the party instead handed over the structure of the party to defectors from other parties who never knew how APC was founded.
“What is happening to APC in the Southeast is a result of a poor reward system.
“The party undermined those that worked so hard to plant the party in the zone and instead embraced newcomers who do not have what it takes to endear the party to the people,” he said.
He insisted that unless the party retraces its steps in the conduct of free and fair primary, and declare the winner without manipulation, reconcile all the aggrieved old members, it may not recover from the self-afflicted crisis before the 2023 general election.
The APC chieftain maintained, “If the founding fathers of the party are not appeased and handed back the reins of the APC, the fortune will continue to go down.”
Offering solutions for the party’s leadership ahead of the 2023 elections, Nwosu advised the Buni-led committee to consult the founding members of the APC in the zone.
He listed those to be consulted as a former governor of Imo State, Rochas Okorocha; Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige; Minister of Science and Technology, Ogbonnaya Onu; NIWA boss; George Moghalu, among others.
The Imo-born politician, who expressed optimism that the party will coast to victory, said the above top government functionaries are open to genuine discussions that will engender genuine reconciliation.
He added, “The party leadership can’t ignore those that worked so hard and invested their resources and time and expect to continue to win elections.
“The party can’t gloss over the fact that all is not well, but all hope is not lost if it can reconcile the aggrieved leaders.
“What happened in the Anambra State governorship election is a confirmation of the fact that the party veered off from the original plan but all that can be remedied.”
