Ojukwu jnr: Why I Joined APC

Emeka Ojukwu jnr, son of late Dim Chukwuemeka Ojukwu on
Wednesday disclosed that his decision to join the All Progressives
Congress (APC) was driven by his believe that the South East must
occupy its rightful place in the national governance and the
political decision making process of the country.

Ojukwu jnr said this when he was formally received into the APC
by the Party’s National Leadership led by the Party’s National
Chairman, H.E. Chief John Odigie-Oyegun at the Party’s National
Secretariat in Abuja. Odigie-Oyegun was accompanied by the Party’s
Deputy National Chairman (South), Engr. Segun Oni; National Vice
Chairman (South-East), Hon. Emma Eneukwu; National Auditor, Chief
(Dr.) George Moghalu and Chief of Staff to the APC National
Chairman, Mr. Edwin Ikhinmwin.

Recall that Ojukwu jnr had earlier made his declaration in Awka
at a rally for Tony Nwoye, the APC candidate for the November 18
Anambra governorship election.

Ojukwu jnr: “I decided to lead by example. I have been talking
about this for a while and I decided it was time to take the step
forward. It is a challenge, there are some people that will not be
happy about that, but you have to be bold, take a step and let
people understand where you are coming from and why you are doing
what you are doing.

“APC have been seen in our part of the country as the ‘other’
and I believe we are now showing that the APC is a Party that can
contend equally with any other Party in the South East and do just
as well. We now know that Igbo people are part of the APC, the APC
are part of Igbo and Igbo are valued part of the Nigerian nation.
We hit around the 25 per cent mark in terms of votes in the Anambra
election which is not bad given where we are coming from. I think
in the future, we are going to do a lot better.

“Let me say this about my father, we shouldn’t take our history
and our past to be shackles that hold us in one place, rather they
should be stepping stones and building blocks to get us moving
towards the future. When my father came back from exile, he had the
option to join an ethnic-based party but he chose to move to the
centre and there was a reason for that.

“You need to be at the table where decisions are being made. If
you are not there, you will always get the short end of the stick,
you will be marginalised. That is the message I want to help to
propagate. This is a much bigger party than the one I came from, so
I put myself at your service to help us achieve our dreams. For me,
anyway that I can help to push this message forward, I am
ready.”

While formally receiving Ojukwu jnr. into the Party, the APC
National Chairman said his entry to the Party will be a major asset
in the APC’s ongoing drive to mainstream the South East in the
national governance and political decision making process in the
APC.

Odigie-Oyegun said: “I thank you for choosing the APC, a family
that is practical in its political orientation. It is significant
that you chose the platform of the final rally at Akwa to make your
very significant statement. I noted particularly the interpretation
of your illustrious father’s interpretation of joining the NPN and
the significance of being part of the Party’s decision making
process such that for anybody who seeks to represent a large group,
nationality of that nature, it is critical that he seeks to be
where decisions that may affect his people are made. I hope the
lesson went home, it is a lesson we will continue to propagate,
particularly in the south east because we hold the region very
dear.

“I have no doubt that your appearance there (Akwa) also
contributed significantly to the progress we have made in Anambra
state and we are looking forward to being able to propagate that to
the other South East states as we start approaching the next set of
elections.

Odigie-Oyegun said despite losing the recent Anambra
governorship election, the Party’s performance clearly showed that
progress is being made in terms of the Party’s appeal and inroads
in the South East.

“I consider that we have made a lot of gains inspite of not
winning Anambra state. But it is clear if people interpret properly
that the APC given the base from which we were starting, given the
kind of intense propaganda that goes out there that the South East
is against the APC – whether it is religion, ethnic or even
historical – we have made some progress. But we are not resting on
that. We are immediately setting up a team to study the elections,
to look at whatever significant issues it has thrown up, to find
ways in which we can improve our performance as we spread into the
rest of the South East, basically to tell us what we did not do
right in Anambra State which we need to correct as the electoral
processes begin in the rest of the South East. We hope it will
throw up valuable lessons that will help us perform much better in
subsequent elections in the South East.

“I truly welcome you, there is no question at all that your name
is an asset, what you stand for is an asset and we hope that in the
next few months you will be much more closely integrated within the
party structure at national level and ofcourse in the South East.
For people to join us at this time is a clear indication that they
understand what is going on and are ready to put their names,
reputation, energies, and resources behind our effort to rebuild
the country and be part of this process of change. This is a
struggle that we must win. The nation cannot afford to lose,
because greatness beckons and unless we get our act right, we are
not going to get there.” He said.

Emeka Ojukwu jnr, son of late Dim Chukwuemeka Ojukwu on
Wednesday disclosed that his decision to join the All Progressives
Congress (APC) was driven by his believe that the South East must
occupy its rightful place in the national governance and the
political decision making process of the country.

Ojukwu jnr said this when he was formally received into the APC
by the Party’s National Leadership led by the Party’s National
Chairman, H.E. Chief John Odigie-Oyegun at the Party’s National
Secretariat in Abuja. Odigie-Oyegun was accompanied by the Party’s
Deputy National Chairman (South), Engr. Segun Oni; National Vice
Chairman (South-East), Hon. Emma Eneukwu; National Auditor, Chief
(Dr.) George Moghalu and Chief of Staff to the APC National
Chairman, Mr. Edwin Ikhinmwin.

Recall that Ojukwu jnr had earlier made his declaration in Awka
at a rally for Tony Nwoye, the APC candidate for the November 18
Anambra governorship election.

Ojukwu jnr: “I decided to lead by example. I have been talking
about this for a while and I decided it was time to take the step
forward. It is a challenge, there are some people that will not be
happy about that, but you have to be bold, take a step and let
people understand where you are coming from and why you are doing
what you are doing.

“APC have been seen in our part of the country as the ‘other’
and I believe we are now showing that the APC is a Party that can
contend equally with any other Party in the South East and do just
as well. We now know that Igbo people are part of the APC, the APC
are part of Igbo and Igbo are valued part of the Nigerian nation.
We hit around the 25 per cent mark in terms of votes in the Anambra
election which is not bad given where we are coming from. I think
in the future, we are going to do a lot better.

“Let me say this about my father, we shouldn’t take our history
and our past to be shackles that hold us in one place, rather they
should be stepping stones and building blocks to get us moving
towards the future. When my father came back from exile, he had the
option to join an ethnic-based party but he chose to move to the
centre and there was a reason for that.

“You need to be at the table where decisions are being made. If
you are not there, you will always get the short end of the stick,
you will be marginalised. That is the message I want to help to
propagate. This is a much bigger party than the one I came from, so
I put myself at your service to help us achieve our dreams. For me,
anyway that I can help to push this message forward, I am
ready.”

While formally receiving Ojukwu jnr. into the Party, the APC
National Chairman said his entry to the Party will be a major asset
in the APC’s ongoing drive to mainstream the South East in the
national governance and political decision making process in the
APC.

Odigie-Oyegun said: “I thank you for choosing the APC, a family
that is practical in its political orientation. It is significant
that you chose the platform of the final rally at Akwa to make your
very significant statement. I noted particularly the interpretation
of your illustrious father’s interpretation of joining the NPN and
the significance of being part of the Party’s decision making
process such that for anybody who seeks to represent a large group,
nationality of that nature, it is critical that he seeks to be
where decisions that may affect his people are made. I hope the
lesson went home, it is a lesson we will continue to propagate,
particularly in the south east because we hold the region very
dear.

“I have no doubt that your appearance there (Akwa) also
contributed significantly to the progress we have made in Anambra
state and we are looking forward to being able to propagate that to
the other South East states as we start approaching the next set of
elections.

Odigie-Oyegun said despite losing the recent Anambra
governorship election, the Party’s performance clearly showed that
progress is being made in terms of the Party’s appeal and inroads
in the South East.

“I consider that we have made a lot of gains inspite of not
winning Anambra state. But it is clear if people interpret properly
that the APC given the base from which we were starting, given the
kind of intense propaganda that goes out there that the South East
is against the APC – whether it is religion, ethnic or even
historical – we have made some progress. But we are not resting on
that. We are immediately setting up a team to study the elections,
to look at whatever significant issues it has thrown up, to find
ways in which we can improve our performance as we spread into the
rest of the South East, basically to tell us what we did not do
right in Anambra State which we need to correct as the electoral
processes begin in the rest of the South East. We hope it will
throw up valuable lessons that will help us perform much better in
subsequent elections in the South East.

“I truly welcome you, there is no question at all that your name
is an asset, what you stand for is an asset and we hope that in the
next few months you will be much more closely integrated within the
party structure at national level and ofcourse in the South East.
For people to join us at this time is a clear indication that they
understand what is going on and are ready to put their names,
reputation, energies, and resources behind our effort to rebuild
the country and be part of this process of change. This is a
struggle that we must win. The nation cannot afford to lose,
because greatness beckons and unless we get our act right, we are
not going to get there.” He said.