Road to 2023: APC NWC rallies South- South for Tinubu, dispatch Giadom to Bayelsa, others

From Femi Folaranmi, Yenagoa

The All Progressive Congress (APC) National Working Committee is rallying support for its Presidential candidate, Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu in the South- South geo-political region.

This is just as it is drumming support for all the candidates of the party in the 2023 general elections.

The party having lost Governor Godwin Obaseki to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has just Governor Ben Ayade of Cross River in the region amid disaffection from former presidential aspirant, Rotimi Amaechi and other party leaders in Rivers, Akwa- Ibom and Bayelsa State.

Investigation revealed that to resolve some of the contending issues  and persuade aggrieved members to sheathe their sword so as to be on the same page with the party leadership, the Adamu Abdullahi led NWC dispatched the National Vice- Chairman, South- South,  Victor Gaidom to Bayelsa State.

The state chapter of the party just like some other state chapters is embroiled in internal crisis over power tussle between a former Minister of State for Agriculture, Senator Heineken Lokpobiri and the governorship candidate of the party in the 2019 governorship election, Chief David Lyon on one hand and APC leader in Bayelsa State and Minister of State, Petroleum, Chief Timipre Sylva on the other hand.

Gaidom who was in Yenagoa in company of zonal executives and Sylva is also expected to visit other South- South states to reconcile aggrieved members before the commencement of electioneering campaign.

Before the meeting went into a closed door session, Gaidom told the stakeholders that the meeting was to evaluate the chances of the party, examine its health and plug all loopholes that could ruin the electoral chances of the party.

“We are moving close to elections and very close to the electioneering campaign.  We are here to explain to our stakeholders that the time has come to put our house and communities together to ensure we secure victory for APC in Bayelsa State. We are here to understand the health of this party, what are the challenges in Bayelsa. What are the things we ought to do better than what we are doing today so that we win Bayelsa. What are those critical challenges that if we don’t solve would make things difficult for us to win in the election. We are here to collate all views and give a report back to the national executive so that we can put everything together,” he said.

Gaidom in an interview after the meeting expressed happiness that the party is poised to win elections in the South- South.

“We have very strong chances to win in the South- South. We also have very strong chances to win in Bayelsa State. We are here to take stock of the party and look at the challenges and ensure that everybody works together for APC in Bayelsa,” he said.