It saddens me to see the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the situation it is today. This is a party that gave many Nigerians hope in 2014/2015. How then is it possible that after defeating a ruling party, it has degenerated this much? Since it assumed power, it is one problem after the other and the worst part of the problem is that many of the people speaking against the party are from within – its members.
Over two years after assuming office, the president is yet to reconstitute boards for ministries, parastatals and agencies. Many people who fought for the party have been abandoned.
Shortly after I heaved a sigh of relief that the party was going to hold its convention, I saw a report that it had been shifted. So many things are wrong with the party and the earlier it puts its house in order, the better.
Many Nigerians are disappointed by its actions and approach to many national issues, but it is not too late for the party to retrace its steps. It can still prove to the masses that they were not wrong in choosing it over the Peoples’ Democratic Party in 2015.
The president should start by chasing away all those who are in the corridors of power but do not share his vision. He should reshuffle his cabinet and ensure that square pegs are put in square holes.
So far, many of the campaign promises have not been redeemed. The president should set in place machinery to ensure that the promises are delivered. I do not regret voting out the PDP in the last election, but what we have now is a far cry from what I expected.
However, I am not ready to give up on this government yet because I believe that it can still work for Nigerians. There are many selfish persons around the government who have no business being there and they should be chased away.
I urge all stakeholders of the party to hold an emergency meeting and discuss the issues bedevilling the APC and seek ways of tackling them. But if things continue like this, I can assure the APC that in 2019, it will lose the elections. No party can take Nigerians for granted.
Tony Ibekwe wrote from Port Harcourt, Rivers State
