Former National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Comrade Adams Oshiomhole has said that the party would emerge victorious in the 2023 presidential election and reclaim Edo State from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
He spoke after a stakeholders meeting he called in the state to strategise ahead of the 2023 general election.
On the purpose of the meeting, Oshiomhole said, “The whole idea is to have a conversation because as they say, a house divided among itself cannot stand.
“I believe that the irreducible precondition for winning an election is that we must be united and the only way to be united is to have an inclusive meeting.
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“If leaders want to meet, there has to be agreed criteria to select those leaders from each local government and everybody must be present. If we are going to have women meetings, all women leaders must be present, that is the way to avoid division, which is the way to avoid suspicion, which is the way to avoid rumour mongering.
“And we must recognize the formal institution of the party. No matter who we think we are as individuals, we can’t be taller than the party leadership that we all elected.
“Every one of us has the right to have ideas, but channel those ideas in a way that the leadership takes them on board and takes ownership of it and makes decisions that each and every member of the party will readily accept.”
He said a similar meeting was convened after the party lost the gubernatorial election in the state in 2020.
He said that APC’s chances of victory in the 2023 presidential election would be greatly bolstered by unity among members and supporters.
Oshiomhole praised President Muhammadu Buhari for his recent statement reassuring APC members of his support for the party’s candidates in the 2023 election.
“The president as the overall leader of the party has also directed and I think we all should obey that all those who have cases in court should also withdraw them so that all hands will be on deck to campaign for APC to retain power in 2023. I am an example, I was national chairman, you know how I left the office, did I go to court? If I went to court, you think I wouldn’t have had a chance? But my attitude was simply this, people hardly remember when things are tough, they remember when it is good.
“If the party gave me the opportunity to chair the party for two years, even for two days and at some point some people felt I should leave and I was asked to leave, why should I forget the fact that I had the honour of leading the party? If the Supreme Court says I am the chairman, but respected party leaders thought otherwise, which party will I chair? Some people said it is your right and I said yes but in law, you can decide to sleep on your right so I chose to sleep on my right and I am enjoying it. If I had gone to court and APC could not do their convention, I could have been blamed. So I am asking those members to withdraw their cases from the courts to do what I have not done,” the former Edo governor said.
On the 2024 Edo gubernatorial election, Oshiomhole said he recognised that support of the party’s grassroots supporters would be vital in reclaiming the state and promised not to take it for granted.
“2023 is the bridge to 2024, if you don’t close that bridge, you can still go to 2024 but you will be limping but if you march there on your two feet then we are ahead.
“They say Oshimhole is supporting this person for governor. He is now supporting this one from another region for governor that I say publicly here that I will not do anything to impose or anoint anybody because I can’t be doing the same thing and expect different results. All those who are saying Oshiomhole is supporting this person or that person, are liars. The ones I supported before, where did it bring me.
“In my nomination in Edo north I campaigned and I didn’t direct anybody to step down or vote for any aspirant. The only person I told to step down is my younger brother for the House of Assembly. When they tell you those stories, there are no truths in them. We have enough brains, we have enough materials, I have learnt my lessons; the people can do no wrong.”
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