APC in good health, South-South leaders tells Sagay, Secondus

South-South Leaders have disagreed with Prof. Itse Sagay over the leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC), advising him not to fuel crisis in the ruling party through wide and baseless allegations.

“APC is a success story and an example of how democracy can work. There is no confrontation between the stakeholders and the Presidency. The party is controlling the grassroots,” the leaders said.

In a statement in Calabar, signed by the chairman of South- South Front, Chief John Harry, after a meeting on critical issues surrounding democracy and economic development in Nigeria,

the leaders commended the National Working Committee (NWC) of the ruling party for discouraging violence, harmonising all contending elements to minimise crisis and promoting internal democracy through free and fair elections.

“APC has made Nigeria stand up on its feet and be counted as one of the few most respected nations on earth,” they said.

The leaders praised the party’s national chairman, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun for changing the face of Nigeria politics and the nature of political discourse in the country, building a sustaining party apparatus, making the party attractive to individuals and groups and defending the electorate.

The leaders, who were angered over the state of the economy under PDP, commended President Muhammadu Buhari for leading Nigeria’s unprecedented growth, development and prosperity.

They particularly praised Buhari for the impressive recovery of the economy from recession and the modernisation of the country’s infrastructure.

“President Muhammadu Buhari is moving Nigeria towards a higher level of sustainable prosperity,” the leaders said, even as they expressed disappointment over the incessant attack on the party by the chairman of the Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption, Prof. Itse Sagay.

The leaders were also quick to downplay the views of the national coordinator, Freedom and Justice Movement (FJM), Dr. Breakforth Onwunbuya and Uche Secondus, former Acting National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on 2019 general election and the performance of the Buhari-led APC government, telling Nigerians to shun them.

In a major show of dissent against Sagay, Secondus and Onwunbuya, the leaders said APC was not collapsing, describing Oyegun as a strong and stable leader.

“The PDP is deeply wounded. It has manifestly failed. APC will take Anambra and Ekiti states off APGA and PDP. It will also win the 2019 general election” the leaders said.

“We are sticking with APC in 2019,” they added.