APC stalwart says party must reposition in Ebonyi

A Chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ebonyi state, Dr. Paul Okorie, says the clamour for good governance in the state may be a mirage unless the APC is repositioned to put the ruling party on its toes.

Okorie, who stated this in an interview on Friday in Abakaliki, declared the APC as the ruling party at the centre and largest opposition in Ebonyi state possesses the capacity to offer formidable and credible opposition to the Peoples Democratic Party-led government in the state.

According to him, opposition politics creates necessary checks and balances on the government in power, asserting that it was only through effective, strong and formidable opposition that any government in power can be kept on its toes and be forced to provide good governance.

He regretted that the APC has not been visible in the state’s politics after its appearance in the 2019 general elections where it failed to clinch any position.

Okorie, a former APC governorship aspirant appealed to APC stakeholders in the state to put the party’s loss behind them and chart a way forward, just as he harped on the need for the party to have a stronger synergy among its levels of leadership, noting that APC must offer itself as a better and credible alternative in the state.

“I am deeply worried about the situation of our party in Ebonyi state. When you go for a battle and lose, especially a battle you ought not to have lost, you become disorganised and disillusioned.

“This is exactly what happened to our party. So, I am deeply worried that the APC has been in limbo after its poor outing in the 2019 general elections. It was indeed, an election that we shouldn’t have lost.

“It is quite unfortunate that up till now, we have not been able to find our bearing as a party and stand on our feet; I am very worried,” he said.

The APC chieftain said it was high time something was done by stakeholders to put the party in a good stead to provide checks and balances to the ruling party in the state.

“When there are no checks and balances, for whatever reason, the rule of law will be endangered and the party in power will keep doing what it likes,” he submitted.

Okorie, a former commissioner for works, housing and transportation in the state, maintained that the APC must reinvent itself in order to wrestle power from the PDP in 2023.