Stop fight over 2019 governorship candidate, empower members, M30 tells Rivers APC

A political pressure group within the Rivers State chapter of the All Progressives Congress, APC, operating under the aegis of M30, has called on the leadership of the party to empower its members rather than squabbling over who would be its candidate in the 2019 general elections.

President-General of M30, Ambassador Anosike Ordunwa, in a brief chat with some journalists yesterday, said it was disturbing that the APC in the state was not sensitive to the plight of its members who, he said, were hungry and incapable of paying their children’s school fees.

Ambassador Ordunwa said: “What we are saying is that the members of the party are hungry especially the youths. The leadership of the party should concentrate on empowering the people. People are dying of hunger; people cannot pay their children’s school fees. You don’t want to address the issue of poverty and hunger in the party, yet you are talking about candidates for 2019.

He continued: “Specifically, people should be empowered through skills acquisition, contracts, and jobs. Contracts should be given to youths. Some of us risked our lives; some of us escaped death and they are not talking about the welfare of the members of the party. All they are talking about is the leadership of the party and governorship candidates and we are saying no, let the leadership of the party address the issue of the welfare of members once and for all.”

According to the M30 President-General, the leadership of the APC should be concerned about the welfare of their members and not who would run for an election in 2019 and concentrate on how to empower members who have been very faithful and supportive to the party.

Referring to the on-going crisis in the party on whether a primary will be conducted to select its candidate for the 2019 gubernatorial election, Ambassador Ordunwa lamented: “You can’t come and be talking about who becomes the party candidate for 2019 when people are hungry. We have just finished a general election and people have not been empowered. We are saying as a group to the leadership of our party that the issue that has fuelled the crisis in the party should be kept aside.”

Ambassador Ordunwa declared that the M30 would resist any attempt to foist a governorship candidate on the party without subjecting all aspirants to a primary as enshrined in the APC’s Constitution.

He warned: “Our group will resist any imposition of candidate. I stand bold to be corrected, we will resist it. The party must do the proper thing. The party’s constitution must be followed and respected. 2019 is not 2015. Rivers APC must move forward. And we cannot move forward if we fail to do the right. We must learn from what happened in 2015. We must do the right thing in 2019.”

Ambassador Ordunwa pointed out: “If I want to contest for governorship, or any position in the 2019 general elections, I should be allowed to contest in a free, fair, and credible primary. The leadership of the party must conduct a transparent primary election.”