...Asks opponents to accept elections' outcome
Ebonyi Governor-elect, Chief Francis Ogbonna Nwifuru, and IPAC logo.
By Victor Nwegede, Abakaliki.
The Acting Chairman of the Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC) in Ebonyi, Comrade Ernest Nwagwu Nweze has extolled the State Governor-elect, Chief Francis Ogbonna Nwifuru and urged him to be very magnanimous in his victory throughout his administration.
Comrade Ernest Nwagwu Nweze, Acting Chairman, Ebonyi IPAC.
Nweze, who is also the Zonal Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ebonyi South, commended the conduct of the citizens of the State during the general elections, saying their peaceful conduct had earned them more trust and reverence as the law-abiding citizens in Nigeria and beyond.
While commending all elected candidates of different political parties from Ebonyi during the February 25 and March 18 polls, the IPAC Boss urged them especially the State governor-elect to carry everybody along while in office.
He said, "Ebonyi people have proved that they are peaceful, and law-abiding citizens irrespective of some administrative hitches, I commend them and the INEC as well on their conduct during the general elections in the State.
"For the APC candidates, who won the elections, I must advise them to be magnanimous in victory.
"I am also commending the APGA, PDP, and other political parties that participated in the elections to accept the outcome of the exercise as the will of God and the decision of the masses. They have to congratulate the APC governorship candidate, Rt. Hon. Francis Ogbonna Nwifuru, who won the governorship election; I'm urging the opposition parties to join hands with him to continue moving the State forward."
Nweze described a political party as a conglomeration of different political groups pursuing their various interests under the same umbrella, stressing that it was not out of place when a party faces internal wrangling.
He, however, blamed the political actors whose parties are currently facing one crisis or the other for not employing better mechanisms in piloting their affairs.
He added: "Like in APC, my interest is different from the next person's interest, but the difference is that the APC has a better mechanism of harmonising their goal.
"That's why, prominently APC won the majority seats. It doesn't mean APC members have no divergent interests, only that the PDP, APGA and other political parties don't have that internal mechanism to fix common interests because everybody in those parties wants to be a political leader.
"Every member wants his or her interest to supersede his or her members, which is not supposed to be because God is the one that giveth power - if God says you shouldn't go, you can't go vice versa."
Nweze while commending Governor David Umahi, whom he described as 'the Father-of-Equity in Ebonyi," further urged the State Governor-elect, Nwifuru to run an all-inclusive government and consolidate the developmental strides of his predecessor.
"My advice to the Governor-elect in Ebonyi State is for him not to see himself as the governor of the APC or governor of any particular clan or group. Thank God for the effort of Governor David Nweze Umahi who has eliminated to the great extent the tribal sentiments system of governance in Ebonyi State. So, the governor-elect should consolidate that unity, and stand on equity which contributed immensely to his victory at the polls. He should know it's not only the APC that voted for him because I could remember vividly that other gubernatorial candidates stepped down for him, and many chieftains of the opposition political parties dumped their parties' candidates and adopted him as their sole candidate during the governorship election.
"The Ebonyi governor-elect should be a father to all and consolidate this existing peaceful atmosphere in our dear state. On the issue of developmental strides, I don't need to ask him to consolidate them because he has been part of the existing ones in Ebonyi State. He has been part of Governor David Umahi's administration and he has contributed to giving the state a facelift. He knows that he has to continue where his predecessor stopped and I am also very happy that during his campaigns, he assured of stomach infrastructure, human empowerment, educational emancipation of Ebonyi State and so on," he stressed.
Nweze equally assured IPAC members in Ebonyi State of serving them without fear or favour thereby making sure that their interests are well protected.
