A high-powered All Progressives Congress, APC, South-East leadership, comprising the five Ministers from the region, a former Senate President and member of the National Caretaker Committee of the party, Dr. Ken Namanni, and Imo State governor, Senator Hope Uzodimma, rose from a meeting at the Government House, Owerri, yesterday, and resolved to present an impregnable and united front ahead of 2023.
They also resolved to support President Muhammadu Buhari and collaborate with the Federal Government to ensure that the people of the South-East derive maximum benefits from the centre.
Uzodinma, who briefed newsmen after the closed-door meeting, disclosed that the leaders were more than committed to work harmoniously with the Federal Government for the overall benefit of Ndigbo.
The ministers at the meeting were Minister of State for Education, Hon. Emeka Nwajiuba; Minister of Labour, Dr Chris Ngige; Dr Ogbonaya Onu, Minister of Technology; Mr. Uche Uga, Minister of State for Mines and Steel, Development, and Geoffery Onyeama, Minister of Foreign Affairs.
According to the Imo governor, the leaders were more than committed towards strengthening the APC in the zone so as to make it a party of choice for Ndigbo.
He disclosed that Imo is the gateway of APC to the South-East, adding that the ultimate goal of the leaders was to ensure that the people of the five states of the region derive maximum benefits from the Federal Government.
“ We need to re-examine our alliance strategies and see for ourselves which alliance trend has paid the South-East more: The first and second republics’ alliances we had or the ones we are having in this third republic”, the governor said.
Nnamani, on his part, said the choice of Owerri for the meeting was strategic because, as the only APC state in the region, Imo provides the launching pad for the APC in the South-East.
According to him, the leaders came to show solidarity with the only governor the party has in the region and to congratulate him for making the APC proud through his laudable projects.
Ngige assured the people of the South-East that those of them in the federal cabinet were alert to their duties and that everything due to the people of the region will get to them. He announced that two rail projects had been embarked for the region and that work would soon commence on them.