The former Director-General of the Voice of Nigeria (VON), Mr Osita Okechukwu, says Governor Peter Mbah of Enugu State is wholeheartedly welcome to join the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
Okechukwu, a founding member of the APC, made this known in a statement issued in Enugu on Monday on behalf of the party’s foundation members in Enugu State and the South-East.
The statement was in response to remarks attributed to the Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Chief Uche Nnaji, at a meeting in Enugu on Sunday, suggesting opposition to Governor Mbah’s liberty to join the APC.
Okechukwu quoted Nnaji as saying: “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.”
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According to Okechukwu, the foundation members of the APC wish to state unequivocally that His Excellency Dr Peter Mbah and his associates are wholeheartedly welcome to the APC in Enugu State, in line with the standard convention of the party.
“Governor Mbah and his group should not be intimidated by anybody,” he added.
Okechukwu expressed surprise that Nnaji, “who himself came from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), is chasing away the exceptionally performing Governor Mbah.”
“For us, the foundation members, Governor Mbah should disregard our dear brother Chief Nnaji, because we want to win the Lion Building for the first time and join 23 other states to guarantee President Bola Tinubu’s victory in 2027,” he said.
He advised Nnaji to focus more on his ministerial duties.
“Otherwise, we will not allow Chief Nnaji, who came a distant fourth with 14,575 votes in the gubernatorial election and scored 4,722 votes for President Tinubu in the 2023 presidential election, to damage the APC again,” Okechukwu stated.
