By Douglas Okoro
Dr Paul Okorie, an All Progressives Congress (APC) Chieftain in Ebonyi says the outcome of the party’s National Convention scheduled in Abuja on Saturday will make the party stronger and more united.
Okorie, a former Commissioner for Works and Transport in Ebonyi said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abakaliki on Friday.
According to him, the convention will usher in new set of leaders that will reinvent the party, treat members fairly and guarantee good governance.
“Party members are not being carried along most of the time; so, it’s expected that the leadership that will come on board will do everything to remove bitterness and rancour within the party.
“It should ensure good governance and run party affairs with high degree of sincerity and integrity so that it may appeal to many other people,’’ he said.
The former commissioner said that democracy was all about number, adding that with general election coming soon; the officials should endeavour to make the party appealing to the populace.
“The party is set to conduct a convention that will be acceptable to many because there is no time you can satisfy everybody.
“But, in every battle, there must be winners and there must be losers. But, generally from what I have seen and from the reactions of many members of the party dissenting voices are few.
“This means that at the end of the day, the outcome of the convention will be accepted by most members and this will make us stronger and more united as a political party,” he said.
Okorie said that the party had adopted consensus option for the election of new national officers and urged those that would be elected to see their emergence as act of God.
“The party has tilted towards consensus option for the convention and this is done in order to reduce rancour, tension, acrimony and bitterness.
“Those people who have been chosen should remember that they were not picked because they are the best but that God wants them to be chosen at such a time.
“They must be ready to offer the best of services to the party in order to deepen the party’s internal democracy and justify the reason for being chosen.
“What is expected from them is to unite the party and make the members to speak with one voice as a political party,” he said. (NAN)