Leaders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the South East have called for greater participation of people from the region, especially Igbo indigenes, in the party, emphasizing the strategic benefits of being aligned with the ruling party at the national level.
Speaking after the APC South East Select Leaders Consultative Meeting held in Enugu on Saturday, the leaders stated that their appeal is driven by a desire to position the region closer to the center of power, rather than remaining on the political periphery with limited benefits.
Prominent APC figures in attendance included the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Benjamin Kalu; former Senate President, Anyim Pius Anyim; Governors Hope Uzodinma (Imo) and Francis Nwifuru (Ebonyi); Senator Orji Uzor Kalu; Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Chief Uche Nnaji; Dozie Ikedife Jnr; and zonal executives of the APC.
Speaking on behalf of the group, Governor Hope Uzodinma stated that the meeting resolved to intensify efforts to make the APC a dominant political force in the South East.
He noted that the gathering focused on strategies to encourage greater political engagement within the region and highlighted the benefits of aligning with the party currently in control at the federal level.
“You must have seen how sitting governors in other geopolitical zones are now joining the APC. It is by joining the APC—which is in charge of the federal government and several state governments—that the South East will be brought closer to the corridors of power,” Uzodinma said.
He described it as a positive development that key political leaders from the region, including the Deputy Speaker, two state governors, federal lawmakers, and ministers, are all serving under the APC platform.
“We have decided to see the South East as a united political family—tolerating one another’s shortcomings and working as a formidable team to achieve our common goals,” Uzodinma concluded.
