Following the protests in Abuja by some aggrieved members of the All Progressives Congress, APC from Abia, against the inclusion of alleged non-APC members on the Board of tertiary institutions by the President, some APC chieftains have dismissed the protest as unnecessary and urged President Bola Tinubu not to be distracted.
The APC members include former council chairmen, and lawmakers who noted that the President has the power to appoint anybody he finds fit to hold a political office and to ignore any protest in that regard.
Some APC members under the aegis of Abia APC Stakeholders Forum, AASF had on Monday, staged a protest in Abuja, condemning the appointments of some people the stakeholders alleged to be non-members of the party in Abia following the nominated of former Military Administrator of Old Imo State, General Ike Nwachukwu (retd.) as the Pro-Chancellor of University of Nigeria Nsukka, UNN, Sen. Mao Ohuabunwa as the Pro-Chancellor, University of Port Harcourt, as well and the current Commissioner for Agriculture, Professor Monica Ironkwe, among others, as members of the newly constituted Boards of tertiary institutions in the country.
According to a former Transition Committee Chairman of Bende LGA, Pastor Dike Okechukwu, the protest is uncalled for, and condemned the protesters who described the inclusion of the non-APC members on the list of appointees as “a typographical error”.
He noted that the affected individuals are all accomplished Abians, stating, “They can’t be typo errors. Those persons have all distinguished themselves in so many areas. Tinubu is the President of all Nigerians and if he deems any Nigerian fit for any appointment, there is no need for protest”, and urged the President to ignore the protesters agitation, pointing out that spreading political appointments beyond party affiliations helps to stabilise the polity.
He further advised the President to ignore the protesters as they “are the people that are bringing trouble to the tranquillity of the nation which we don’t want now. We want a stabilised nation by spreading political appointments beyond party affiliations. The era of politics is over, we are now in governance”.
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A former Commissioner in Abia State Oil Producing Area Development Commission, ASOPADEC, Chief Orji Udeagha, noted, “The President is a unifier, and he has a target of what he wants to achieve in every state. The President has been appointing people across board. I disagree with those who allege that these appointees fought against the victory of APC in the state in 2023.
Also reacting, the Immediate-past Chairman of Bende Local Government Area, Chief Emmanuel Onwuchekwa, said “I don’t think the protest is necessary. It’s obvious that what Mr President is doing borders on inclusiveness. Probably there are so many people in different quarters and different ways that gave him support outside the party.
“It shouldn’t be now that the President wants the Igbos to be involved in his administration. So, if that will make Abia to fully support the President in 2027 bid, it’s very strategic. Nobody should challenge it, otherwise it will amount to challenging the President himself. All we can do is to ask for more appointments.
However, a former Senator representing Abia Central, Senator Nkechi Nwogu, noted that party loyalists should be rewarded first before outsiders, arguing that “it’s not good for monkey to work and baboon to chop, but there must have been a lot of other considerations that made the President to appoint them”.
“Eventually, the non APC members will see what we saw and will stay with and join us”.
Towing the reasoning with Sen. Nwogu, a former representative of Umunneochi state constituency in the Abia House of Assembly, Hon. Ikedi Ezekwesiri, said “the protest makes meaning because you reap from where you sowed, pointing out however, “The President has the prerogative to appoint who he deems fit into any position”.
