Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Chief Uche Nnaji, has advised intending defectors to the All Progressives Congress, Enugu State, to perish the thought of automatic ticket or hijacking the party structure.

Nnaji stated that the party will welcome intending defectors, but there won’t be an automatic ticket for anybody, no matter how highly placed.

Nnaji, who spoke in Enugu during an expanded stakeholders meeting of the party, Saturday, revealed that some persons, who he described as politically displaced politicians, have been running from pillar to post in Abuja with a view to defecting to Enugu APC and hijacking the party through the back door.

In what could be interpreted as a veiled reference to Governor Peter Mbah’s rumoured interest in joining the party, which has got many members apprehensive for fear of losing their positions or aspirations, the Minister counselled intending defectors to perish the thought of automatic ticket, insisting that the party would receive them but subject everybody to party primaries.

He said, “APC has come to stay; that is why from every nook and cranny, people want to join APC. And as we said earlier, we want people to come in, but we will not give them a free ticket; they must go to the contest.

“Anybody who wants to run for the governorship of Enugu State, let him come to the APC, we will go to contest, we are waiting for them.

“We want to populate the party, provided the person is going to look after the party when he gets in, we don’t have a problem.”

He added, “So, if the President of Nigeria wants to come and run for the governor of Enugu State, let him come, we will support him.

“If the former governor of anywhere wants to join us, let him come; we will run the primaries. It will make it even easier, the primary will be the main election. So that when we finish with the primary, we know we have finished.

“But let me tell you, he will not enter, he is afraid, because there are too many IDPs in Enugu, Internally Displaced Politicians, many of them, they are partyless, they don’t have a party.

“That’s why we are urging him to come, but he will not come. He is an internally displaced politician, he doesn’t have party, he is partyless, we want him to come, he will be running from pillar to post, until it is too late.

“But the good thing is that this our mission is being supported by the good Lord who created us, so we are heading to the government house.

“This is part of the confusion that they will be seeing, that they will be meeting until it becomes too late for them. So, we have a focus, we know where we are going and we will keep going there,” he said.

The Minister praised the state chairman of the party, Ugochukwu Agballah and executives of the party from Ward to State level for their hard work and steadfastness; and other stakeholders for their support, saying that they will be rewarded for their efforts.

Three members of the House of Representatives, who recently defected from Labour Party, LP, to APC, including Hon Sunday Umeha (Udi/Ezeagu), Hon Chimobi Atu (Enugu North/Enugu South) and Prof. Paul Nnamchi in their message pledged their support to ensure that APC wins all the political positions in the state in 2027, including the governorship seat.

Umeha stated that he overcame all manner of discouragement to be the first elected official to defect to APC Enugu State, and was shortly followed by Hon Atu and Hon. Prof Nnamchi, revealing that many more lawmakers, including a senator will soon join APC in the state.

The State Chairman, Agballah stated that APC Enugu State has been growing in leaps and bounds courtesy of Minister Nnaji who has borne the burden of sponsoring the party for more than one year now.

He informed party members to participate actively in the coming continuous voter registration, CVR, exercise by the Independent National Electoral the, INEC, noting that from the end of August, anybody attending a Ward meeting must go with his or her voter card.

He said, “There will be a primary in APC, there will be proper nomination in APC”.

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Former Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, has thrown a jab at President Bola Tinubu over his claims of being behind the emergence of late Muhammadu Buhari as President of Nigeria.

Speaking during an an X space, Amaechi said God made Buhari President.

He challenged those with a contrary view to disclose how much they contributed in making Buhari President.

Buhari ruled Nigeria as a civilian President from 2015 to 2023. Prior to 2015, Buhari contested severally for the presidency but failed.

There are claims that Tinubu’s influence contributed a lot in ensuring that Buhari became President in 2015.

During his campaign in Ogun State in 2022, Tinubu had said he supported Buhari to become President, hence 2023 was his turn – “Emi Lokan”.

Amaechi said: “God and the Nigerian people chose Buhari as President over any other candidate.

“If somebody claims that Buhari became President because of them, they should explain how much they contributed and what else they did.”

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The faction of the African Democratic Congress led by the party’s former governorship candidate in Gombe state, Nafiu Bala on Thursday dismissed claims to its leadership by former Senate President David Mark describing them as “unfounded” and in clear violation of the party’s constitution.

In a statement signed by Dr. Aminu Alhassan, Special Adviser to Bala on public affairs, the ADC faction stressed that only bona fide members of the party can aspire to leadership positions.

He said: “In light of the resignation of Chief Ralph Nwosu, it has come to our attention that certain individuals, notably David Mark and his associates, have attempted to assert claims of leadership that are not only unfounded but also contrary to the principles and constitution of our party.

“First and foremost, it is essential to clarify that the resignation of Chief Ralph Nwosu did not create a free-for-all scenario within the ADC. Instead, it has opened a necessary dialogue regarding the future of our leadership, a dialogue that must be conducted within the framework established by our party’s constitution.

“The ADC’s constitution is unequivocal in stipulating that any individual seeking to assume a leadership role must first be a bona fide member of the party. This fundamental requirement cannot be overlooked or circumvented by any means.

“In accordance with the ADC’s constitution, the appropriate procedure for filling the leadership vacuum left by Chief Nwosu’s departure is through a National Executive Council meeting.”

The party reaffirmed Alhaji Nafiu as its legitimate National Chairman and called on members to remain calm and united.

He also expressed confidence in INEC’s ability to uphold constitutional and democratic norms in political party affairs.

He added, “This meeting will serve as the legitimate forum for deliberating on the way forward and will be followed by ratification at subsequent levels of party convention. It is here that we will ensure that our party’s leadership is determined by those who are genuinely committed to the ideals and objectives of the ADC.

“We would like to emphasise that there is no provision in the Independent National Electoral Commission regulations, the Federal Constitution, or the ADC’s constitution that permits an individual to assume leadership without fulfilling the requisite criteria of membership and democratic process.

“The actions being taken by David Mark and his cohort are not only a misinterpretation of our party’s governance structure but also a blatant disregard for the democratic principles that the ADC stands for.

“To our loyal and dedicated members, we urge you to remain calm and focused during this time of transition. The progress we have made as a party is a testament to the hard work and commitment of our genuine members.

“We must not allow ourselves to be distracted or disheartened by the antics of those who seek to disrupt our unity and progress. The ADC is a party built on the foundations of integrity, accountability, and democratic values, and we must collectively uphold these principles.

“As we navigate this period, we also wish to reaffirm our confidence in the Independent National Electoral Commission. We trust in its commitment to upholding constitutionalism and ensuring that the democratic processes within political parties are respected and adhered to. The ADC remains dedicated to collaborating with INEC to foster a political environment that is conducive to fair play and democratic engagement.

“In conclusion, we stand firmly behind Alhaji Nafiu as the legitimate National Chairman of the African Democratic Congress. His leadership will be instrumental in guiding our party through this transitional phase, and we are confident that he will uphold the values that our members hold dear. We call on all genuine members of the ADC to rally behind Alhaji Nafiu and to work collectively towards the betterment of our party and the communities we serve.”

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