River State APC leaders commend Tinubu over approval for Lagos Calabar Coastal road
By Tom Okpe
River State caucus of the All Progressives Congress, (APC) has commended President Bola Tinubu over the award of contract for the construction of Lagos – Calabar Coastal road.
Tony Cole, the state governorship candidate in the 2023 election who led the group on a courtesy visit to the party National Secretariat, Buhari House yesterday said: “we thank the President for the news of the award of the contract for the construction of the Lagos-Calabar coastal road.
“We thank President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for giving the go-ahead for work to begin on the East-West Road stretch from Eleme to Akwa Ibom.
“These are good signs that things will get better soon for the people of our country.”
The group hail the party chairman, Ganduje for his strides thus far in advancing his philosophy of party unity.
“Indeed, this is the most pragmatic step to take on the back of an election year where some members may have been hurt for not clinching their nomination or feel alienated for some reasons.
“As Rivers State Chapter of the APC, we are most grateful to the National Chairman for availing us the opportunity to meet and confer with him on the huge task of rebuilding our stretch of the chain that binds all members of the Party across the Federation.
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“We remember that ours is a State Chapter with a unique past and horrific experiences that most Nigerians are very familiar with.
“Because of what we’ve been through, our party’s State Chapter is now one of the most challenged in Nigeria. So, we’re glad that the time has come to look up to our new National Chairman for advice, direction, and unity as we try to rebuild from the ashes of the past.
“We promise to work with you and be completely loyal as you lead the party to total reconciliation, greater understanding, and the development of stronger bonds.
“We are sincere when we say that we want the party to work together in unity. However, our current situation as a State Chapter makes things very difficult.
“Since we formed this great party in 2013, we have been hit with mindless violence and damage over and over again.
“Since then, we have lost track of the number of bodies and can’t say how many of our member’s property have been lost to political violence.
“Without doubt, we can say that any small gain we made after the blatant assault on democracy and our right to freely choose our leaders and representatives in 2015, and the rerun elections of 2016 were lost due to the chaos that occurred during the 2018 Congresses and the judgement that took our candidates off the ballot for 2019.
“The scale of violence and all sorts of ambushes were scary, but they didn’t stop us. However, our legitimate challenge to the electoral malfeasance visited on us by a combination of factors under an APC-led Federal Government sabotaged our best and honest efforts this year.
“Not only were our gubernatorial candidates and other candidates not allowed to get materials from the Independent National Electoral Commission, (INEC) to file their petitions at the Tribunals after the elections on February 25 and March 18, 2023, but our party also withdrew as a petitioner, soon after we completed the filing process.
“That has never happened in the history of Nigeria’s major political parties. The party that sponsored our candidates pulled the rug beneath their feet when the party was needed the most.
“If the event described above shocked us a little, what happened next was card-carrying PDP members of Rivers State got appointments in our APC Federal Government, left us completely confused and very upset.
“Those being rewarded are PDP members who spent huge State resources trying to destroy APC in Rivers State since 2013 and failed, primarily because these loyal APC members here, resisted them fiercely.
“You would be shocked that as we address you in this meeting, the Rivers State Chapter of the APC has no representation at any level of governance in our country.
“There isn’t a single Rivers APC member appointed at any level of the Federal, State or Local Government. Things are much worse now than they were in 2015 and we are being foreclosed from exercising our right to challenge the results of elections that do not represent the expressed will of the people of Rivers State,” Cole stated.
He therefore, urged President Tinubu, leader of the party to do more for God’s glory and the APC’s good saying; “these includes appointing our sons and daughters to key positions and other forms of empowerment of our members to cater for our faithful supporters who, despite the human and material losses, they have encountered remain longstanding in faith with the APC.
In his response, Ganduje that the party has taken the right way by rebuilding the party in the state.
“I believe we have taken the right way to rebuild APC in Rivers State. The party that we know the history. The party that we know before the formation in government.
“We know the politics. We know the power of the Federal Government and how you were intimidated at that time.
“Because you chose to be good to APC. There is no doubt Rivers State is a very important state. It is a swing State for election in Nigeria.
“It’s an oil rich State which is important, not only to the state but to the nation. The population is there and it is important during the election.
“In Port -Harcourt, we had convention and I remember the crowd and it is still ringing in my head. We know how important your state is in politics.
“So, we assure you, founding members of APC in Rivers State that we cannot allow your suffering to wither away like that. We will do all our best to protect you.
“Compensation in politics is very important. So, we assure you, we are taking this up for consideration.
