Mr. Osita Okechukwu, a founding member of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), asserts that the party does not need to function within a one-party system to achieve electoral success in the nation. He referenced the APC’s electoral successes in the 2015, 2019, and 2023 general elections to support his claims in a statement released to the media.
Okechukwu emphasized that genuine democrats desire a strong Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to serve as a check and balance, thereby advancing Nigeria’s democratic development, rather than a feeble coalition. However, he noted that, at present, there appears to be no remedy for the PDP’s troubling decline from a major to a minor political entity, a situation he attributes to ‘self-induced impunity.’
He expressed regret over the PDP’s trajectory and reflected on his initial hopes, upon the APC’s establishment in 2013, for a vigorous competition between two robust political parties, which is essential for a mature multiparty system. He recalled his alignment with those who protested when the PDP violated the rotation convention for the presidency, a framework established by patriots in 1999 to ensure peace, unity, and the well-being of Nigeria’s democracy and constitution.
Okechukwu concluded that the party’s disintegration is a consequence of its own actions, stating, ‘he who cultivates ill wind will surely reap whirlwind.’ Regarding the prevailing economic challenges, he asserted that the APC, through comprehensive economic reforms, will revitalize the economy and enhance the Gross National Happiness of Nigerians.
