The All Progressives Congress (APC) Enugu State chapter, on Sunday, endorsed President Muhammadu Buhari for a second term in office as the 2019 general elections draw close.
The party equally passed a vote of confidence on the president and the Dr Ben Nwoye-led executive committee of the party in the state.
The unanimous decisions were taken during the state’s APC’s enlarged State Executive Council and stakeholders meeting held at the party’s secretariat in Enugu.
Addressing the executive members and stakeholders, State Chairman of APC, Dr Ben Nwoye, said that the party would field candidates in all elective positions in 2019.
According to Nwoye, “the Lion Building (Enugu Government House) is our target, and in doing that, we must also make ensure that President Buhari gets the highest votes that will be cast in the state.
“We have the power and all it takes to confront the PDP in 2019,’’ he said.
He, however, cautioned against sabotaging the plans of the party by some members.
“If there is anybody here who will support the election of a PDP candidate, this is not the place for you, you should leave us; what we want is purely candidates of APC extraction.
“We must drop our egos and focus on winning elections in the interest of the party,’’ he said.
Nwoye used the occasion to appeal for peace in the party and apologized to party faithful whom he might have offended during the crisis in the state.
“I tender unreserved apology to those I may have offended by my words and actions.
“By the same token, I have forgiven those who offended me through their conducts. These include those who filed false cases against me in the DSS, EFCC, courts, among others,’’ he said.
In his remarks, the Director-General of Voice of Nigeria, (VON), Chief Osita Okechukwu, called on the party in the state and South East to support President Buhari for a second term in office.
“We need to vote for President Buhari in 2019 because it is the closest possible gateway to Igbo presidency in 2023,’’ he said.
“What the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) leadership could not do for the South-East throughout its 16-year leadership was now being done by the APC government.
“Ndigbo have hope in APC, if we support President Buhari to complete a two-tenure in 2023; Ndigbo will have golden opportunity to produce the president because equity and justice will be on our side,’’ he noted.
The immediate past Governor of Enugu State, Mr Sullivan Chime, stressed the need for members to embrace peace; saying: “APC does not have the luxury of crisis’’.
Chime applauded the decision of the APC NEC to extend the tenure of its national leaders noting that it would have been the opportunity for enemies to scatter the party.
“As things are now, what is before us is more important,’’ he said.
On the choice of the party’s governorship candidate, the former governor said it was necessary to choose credible candidates that would deliver.
“I pray that we won’t have difficulty in choosing who will be our governorship candidate in 2019,’’ he said.
