No Reason APC Can’t Win In 2023, Buhari Is Performing Well- Uzodinma

IF he was telling himself the truth, it could not be immediately ascertained, as Hope Uzodimma, Governor of Imo State, declared that there is no reason why the All Progressives Congress (APC) will not be voted back to power, since the ruling party is “performing well”.

The Imo State Governor spoke to state house correspondents after a meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa. According to him, the APC has witnessed a significant increase in membership in recent times. “What is the prevailing situation that will make APC not to win? Is it that you don’t know that 22 states in the country belong to the APC?”, he asked his interviewers.

“Is it that you don’t know that out of the 774 local government areas in the country, that the APC is controlling the majority? Have you not seen the number of people decamping to the APC?

The mood in the country is that the President is doing very well, given the peculiarities of the times, as insecurity has taken over the globe, the COVID-19 pandemic has ravaged every place in the world from one variant to another, yet we were able to come out of recession.

“So, I’m very confident. I’m a proud member of the APC and I think we’ll do our best to ensure that the confidence reposed in the party by Nigerians is not betrayed.” He also said the decision to challenge the victory of Chukwuma Soludo in the Anambra Governorship election will be determined by the leadership of the APC.

Soludo, candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), secured 112,229 votes to defeat his two major rivals — Valentine Ozigbo of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who polled 53,807 votes and Andy Uba of the APC who secured 43,285 votes. But Uba has rejcted the results of the election, saying he will reclaim his “stolen mandate” at the court.

Uzodimma, who is the chairman of the APC Campaign Council for the Anambra election, said the fact that the President had congratulated Soludo, will not influence the decision to be taken by the leadership of the party and its candidate. “Andy Uba going to court or not, has nothing to do with Mr. President”, he said. “The same Electoral Act that allows INEC to declare the results of an election, also allows aggrieved candidates to seek redress in court, if they so desire. But every other thing will be the decision taken by the candidate and the party.”

He added that the purpose of his visit was to discuss the security challenges in the South East,with the President. “Prominent among the issues discussed, was the increasing insecurity in the South East. I know that despite the activities of the bandits and unknown gunmen, recall that the Correctional Facility in Owerri was broken into and over 1,836 inmates released”, he said.

“Since that time, they’ve been on a rampage, committing all sorts of crimes and there is a need for us to really clamp down on them. The state has asked for support, with additional manpower and also, I asked for some kind of funding to support the security effort in Imo State and the President has obliged me.