- State APC Accuses Tinubu of Undermining Party Loyalty
By Kolawole Ojebisi
A gale of mass defection may soon hit the Anambra branch of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) following the appointment of Bianca Ojukwu as minister-designate by President Bola Tinubu on Wednesday.
This is as leaders of the party have kicked against the nomination of the widow of the late Biafra warlord, Dim Odumegwu Ojukwu, as minister without due consultation by Tinubu.
Eminent stakeholders of the party in the state stressed the president’s decision is nothing short of undermining party loyalty.
The stakeholders of the party at an emergency meeting they had in Awka on Thursday questioned the rationale behind the president’s decision to appoint Bianca while bypassing loyal and competent party members who have contributed immensely toward party stability and unity in the state.
According to these politicans Tinubu’s decision has undermined the morale of their members and there may be a mass defection to in protest against the decision of mot reversed.
High Chief Bunty Onuigbo, the South East Zonal Secretary of APC and a member of the APC Elders Forum in Anambra, who spoke on behalf of the stakeholders, voiced concerns that the president’s actions do not foster loyalty within the party
“This is nothing but an act of anti-party, and it is detrimental. By empowering members of other political parties at the expense of the APC in Anambra State, Mr. President is not supporting party loyalty,” Onuigbo stated.
He questioned the implications of the appointment, asking, “Does Mr. President want a mass defection of APC members in Anambra to the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA)? Is he indirectly working for APGA in Anambra State?”
He expressed the view that the situation is both “unheard of and highly demoralising,” lamenting that the leadership in Abuja seems to be enhancing the fortunes of rival parties at the expense of the APC.
Onuigbo criticized APGA for monopolizing benefits from programmes or empowerment schemes, which he claimed only served their members while taking credit for initiatives that should include all stakeholders.
“This is a group that despises the APC and wants nothing to do with us. Mr. President is encouraging them by making such appointments,” he said.
Onuigbo announced that APC stakeholders have decided to formally present their grievances regarding these appointments to the state Chairman, Chief Basil Ejidike, for submission to the National Working Committee (NWC) and the National Executive Committee (NEC).
