The Senator representing Yobe-East, Bukar Abba Ibrahim, has given a damning verdict on the performance of his party, the All Progressives Congress, over the last three years.
Ibrahim who was a three-time governor of Yobe State said the President Muhammadu Buhari-led APC was in many ways not better than the PDP it defeated in 2015.
Ibrahim said he, like most Nigerians, had a dream that the nation would be changed for the better when the APC took over in 2015, but that more than three years down the line, those hopes had been dashed.
He warned that unlike in 2015 when it had a smooth ride to power, the APC would have to do more to convince the people of the North-East to consider voting for it because a lot had changed.
The senator, who is a founding member of the APC, said, “Without mincing words, as an elder statesman, I must say that my dreams and hopes have been dashed.
“We have certainly not done what I dreamed we would do and in many ways we are no better than the PDP that we sought to displace.
“As we move towards the elections, I have to give a dire warning to the APC. Things are no longer the way they were in 2015 when we rode to power on a cloud of euphoria believing that things will change.
Simply put, things have not changed and many things are worse and the people are bitter. We should not assume that we can win even with massive rigging.”
The senator added, “The party has not lived up to our expectations, the least one expects of a political party like the APC which promised change is for it to respect the principle of internal democracy. A political party should respect the wishes of the majority of its members not an individual.”
‘Our problems now worse than PDP’s’ –APC Rep
Similarly, a member of the House of Representatives, Mr Kehinde Odeneye, has also expressed his bitterness over the turn of events in the APC.
Odeneye, who spoke on Sunday, warned that the party might be kicked out of office in 2019 if genuine efforts were not made to address the frustration of many loyalists.
He told The Punch, “It’s very unfortunate where we have found ourselves today. If we are not able to resolve the issues, they may affect our chances in 2019.
“A lot of people are aggrieved, most especially National Assembly members, who stood by the party. There was promise of compensation but that has not been the case. The National Assembly members are the grass-roots people working for the party.”
