A former Interim National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, Adebisi Akande, has called on members of the party to support the reconciliation efforts led by former Lagos Governor Bola Tinubu to ensure that the party does not “wither away”.
The APC chief made the call in a statement made available to journalists in Osogbo, the Osun State capital on Tuesday.
“The APC cannot be allowed to wither away because of omissions and commissions. Times like this call for sacrifice and service,” he said.
With the 2019 general elections approaching, there have been increasing conflicts between some key members of the party with a faction emerging in Kaduna State last week.
To ensure that internal conflict do not derail the party during the general elections, President Muhammadu Buhari tasked Tinubu with reconciling members.
Akande believes it is an effort that will benefit the party.
“Times like this calls for sacrifice and service. Of note is the saying that a real man, a hero is known by where it stands in the time of adversity. Bola Tinubu, myself and President Buhari stand together in this effort to save APC from itself,” he said.
“Serving the nation has complex colours which constantly dazzle distant onlookers. The job at hand is not about Buhari. It is not about position sharing. It is not about ethnic nationalism. It is about the strength and the beauty of one’s deeds at one time or the other. It is about our party – the APC – Buhari or no Buhari.”
Since President Buhari swept to power in 2015, there have been talks about whether his alliance with the former Lagos governor would stand the test of time.
But both of them have continued to dispel the rumours, and Akande believes that Tinubu would not do anything to the detriment of the party.
“Tinubu was a major participant in the emergence of APC! He must never be happy seeing it destroyed,” he said.
“Let APC be – no matter who may be lucky using it to gain power, make money, get famous – be such lucky ones born by Yoruba, Ibo or Hausa-Fulani. For as long as APC remains relevant, so long shall Bola Tinubu’s contributions to nation-building be magnified in Nigerian History.”
Akande took a swipe at those defecting from APC, accusing them of merely joining the party to better themselves.
He said, “Those that are problematic or now crossing away from APC were not part of its initial making. They must have joined after wrecking their old parties and after the merger became recognised and approved by INEC with a view to merely using APC as a platform for positions.”
