3 hours ago
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The All Progressives Congress, APC, deputy governorship candidate in the 2023 general elections in Bayelsa State, Great Joshua MacIver, has expressed concerns over implosion in the state chapter of the party.
The Bayelsa APC chieftain warned that the party may lose key stakeholders after the the state, National Assembly and gubernatorial primaries if nothing is done to address prevailing injustice in the way the party is being run.
MacIver raised the alarm in a statement he released on Saturday, titled ‘Bayelsa APC Congresses: Going forward, a call to look inwards’.
He urged APC leaders in the state to look inwards and take note of certain factors which may hinder or cut short the party’s victory in the 2027 election.
According to MacIver, such noticeable pitfalls include the imbalance in the united front being put up by Governor Douye Diri among various political blocs in the state.
The 2023 APC deputy governorship flagbearer also declared his commitment to the re-election of President Bola Tinubu come 2027, noting that the President’s second term is non-negotiable.
Specifically, MacIver frowned at what he described as the marginalization of the larger bloc of foundation APC members in Bayelsa since Governor Diri’s defection to the party.
Parts of the statement read, “First, before His Excellency, Senator Douye Diri, joined the APC in the state, there were clearly two political blocs that made up the party, with the approximate population ratios of the blocs standing at 95% to 5%.
“After the entrance of His Excellency, Senator Douye Diri, only the smaller bloc is being carried along in the affairs of the party, leaving the greater percentage to their fate, and this situation has the potential to build anger and dissatisfaction in our dear party.
“The consequence of this has been the high level defection we have witnessed in the party recently and we believe more may likely follow, if we do not put our house in order.
“If we do not pull together as a party, we may witness a situation where we will lose key stakeholders, especially after the State and National Assembly Primaries as well the Gubernatorial Primaries.
“Finally, while it is very clear that we are the party to beat in the 2027 elections and that our loyalty to Mr. President is non-negotiable, we must make haste to say that we cannot afford to create situations or loopholes in our unity which will be exploited by other political interests in the state. We cannot afford to under-rate anyone.
“Our core interest remains the re-election of Mr. President, a project to which we have committed our all. We also pledge our total loyalty to the party as we have no alternative to the APC. However, our concern is that we must, as a party, look inwards and ensure that we do not create loopholes that can impede our common goal.”
MacIver, in the same vein, congratulated the newly elected state executives of the APC in Bayelsa State, led by Warman Ogoriba. He noted that their emergence is welcomed at a critical time the party’s history.
Ex-deputy guber candidate, Joshua MacIver raises concerns over implosion in Bayelsa APC
