Abia State Chapter of All Progressives Congress (APC) on Friday welcomed former Managing Director of Diamond Bank PLC and 2015/2019 Abia State governorship candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Dr. Alex Otti as one of them.
Receiving Otti and his supporters at the party’s Secretariat in Umuahia, Hon. Donatus Nwankpa, Abia APC Chairman urged him and his supporters to uphold the party’s constitution.
“We welcome you to APC. We’re accepting you unconditional in membership and conditional in discipline. We said conditional in discipline because APC has a Constitution and we urge you, your teeming supporters to uphold the letters and words of APC Constitution 2014 as Amended.
“In APC there’s no discrimination. We provide level playing ground for all our members to enable them play robust politics. We welcome you to the Progressives. Yes, APGA has Progressives in their name, but that was just the name.
“Today you are part of the All Progressives! This is the moment we’ve been waiting for. We’ve longed to have you in our midst because our mission is to rescue and resurrect Abia,” he said.
Nwankpa said that the mission to take over and rescue Abia is not a one man’s business. He added that the APC needs all the best hands that Abia has.
“We recognize you as one of our best. We’re proud to have you and we want to assure you that you’ll receive all support in the cause of your aspirations.
“APC has no automatic ticket for anybody and for the position we’ve not won, we’re not zoning. Why did we say so? We must start from the known to the unknown.
“For that, every human being is qualified in Abia to aspire from the presidency to any post we’ve not won. So for this Sir, the next important challenge I have is the word of Apostle Paul, which is come let us reason together.
“And also the word of the Macedonians; come over to Macedonia and help us. Abia is yearning for change. And in the words of Amilcar Cabral and Frantz Fanon; “Every onlooker is either a coward or a traitor. For that, the hottest part of hell is reserved for those who remain passive in the midst of oppression and suppression.”
“The situation of Abia is pathetic. And for that we must all eschew and relegate our individual ambition for the collective good of the generality of the people called Abians.”
Nwankpa assured Otti that in partnership and collaboration with the leadership of the party, every human being in APC is important.
“As part of that integral family, we want to assure you that from your polling unit, your ward, your LGA, your zone and at the state level, you’ll not suffer any discrimination.
“For your supporters, we urge them to integrate fully. Some people have come to this party and say that there was no APC until they came in. Sir, you’re joining APC and there’s APC.
“All you’re becoming today is APC and in unity we stand. For that please, advise your millions of supporters in the state to integrate fully at all levels. Every support group in this party must work in tandem with the Constitution of the party and must cooperate with the people in the party.
“And for those of you who are in the party, remember that we’ve not done it alone before. That’s why we’ve not won the Governorship. That’s why we need people to come over and partner with us. You must accommodate them, partner with them and give them their due respect and recognition.
“Don’t undermine them because you’re seeing them now. Use the best of their potentials, turn it to their kinetic and let’s move forward. Collectively, we’ll save and rescue Abia,” he said.
Adding his voice, Comrade Benedict Godson, Abia APC Publicity Secretary described a political party as a church where everyone is allowed to come as they are, but must key in to the constitution of the party for acceptability.
“Political party is like a church. Everybody is welcomed and whoever is inside it must hold into the doctrine of the church. So, here, the Constitution of our party is supreme and our guide.
“There’s a structure on ground and there’s a caucus. Our authentic Chairman, Hon. Donatus Nwankpa has taken this party from nowhere to somewhere. We have a caucus been led by the Chief Whip of the Nigerian Senate, Senator Orji Uzor-Kalu.
“We wholeheartedly welcome you Sir into this party. With our structure on ground and your own contributions, we’ll get stronger. There’ll be no structure inside our already existing structure and we know you as a gentleman who loves Abia with all your heart. Welcome and let’s do it together.”
Responding, Dr. Otti expressed his happiness for joining the party. He said he came to join the party to make Abia better and added that about 450,000 members of his old party have joined him to APC.
He said he has not come into APC to unsettle anybody, bit to join hands with all the leaders and members of the party to restore Abia to what she was made to be.
“Abia is divided into two; beneficiaries of the bad Abia and those who aren’t happy about the situation. Umuahia is like a glorified Village, Aba is gone. No good hospital. If you doubt it ask Ikpeazu why he left Abia to get cure for COVID-19.
“Election is over, but we must learn from the past. Whatever we do, we must bring out somebody with capacity to help APC to win Abia. The truth is that i can’t watch an incompetent person to be our head again.
“What’s happening in Ebonyi in terms of infrastructure is goo. We must avoid all manner of sentiments and look at someone who can deliver. That’s my own stand. I’m not here to spoil anything. I’m here to help us arrange Abia better.
“I’ve registered in my ward, LGA and now State. By this ceremony, I want to publicly declare that I’m now a full member of APC.”
