Anthony Iwuoma
In order to stem the looming mass defection from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), President Muhammadu Buhari met with many aggrieved senators, who were unfairly treated during the recent party primaries and promised that justice would be done.
President Buhari gave the assurance when the Senate Chief whip, Orji Uzor Kalu, led the 22 senators on a courtesy visit to the president.
The senators had threatened to defect from the party ahead of the 2023 general elections because of the way their respective state governors handled the primaries and effectively shut out many of them.
So far, some senators have already dumped the party for opposition parties.
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However, realising that the development would hurt the party’s chances, the president urged them to exercise restraint, promising that justice would be done.
The president further harped on unity, saying that and ability to prevent real or perceived injustices or heal them, would determine the strength and victory of the party in the election.
He said: “As the leader of the party, one of my primary roles is to ensure that our culture of internal democracy and dispute resolution is strengthened by creating the opportunity for members to ventilate their opinions, views and grievances at different levels.
“Notwithstanding the fact that we have accomplished 23 years of uninterrupted democratic governance, our journey is still in a nascent stage and we continue to learn from our challenges and mistakes. Similarly, our party is still evolving in its culture and practices and it is my expectation and hope that we shall attain a mature level in our internal conduct.
“I have noted your grievances particularly as it concerns the just concluded processes, the cost to the nation, the threat to the majority position held by our party in the legislative chambers and likely consequent cost to the electoral fortunes of our party as we approach the general elections. We must not allow these dire threats to come to pass.
“I must acknowledge that in every contest, there must be a level playing ground just as there would be grievances at the end. That is the test of our democratic credentials, systems and practices. I have since the conclusion of the processes been inundated with various reports and complaints.
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He gave assurance that “justice shall prevail, aggrieved members shall be assuaged and the interest of the party and the nation shall be protected.’’
The leader of the delegation and Senate Chief Whip, Uzor Kalu, had told the president that 22 senators and many members of the party were dissatisfied with the outcome of the primaries in their states, and felt disenfranchised by the process.
A statement by Femi Adesina, Special Adviser to the President, Media and Publicity, read: “In keeping with our ethos, therefore, I shall continue to address the ensuing challenges and grievances through the party machinery while paying keen attention to the outcomes.
“I must also remind you of the primacy of justice in all our actions. If justice is denied, the outcome is usually unpleasant.
“This is because you are the members who keep the party running. I should add that as part of the policy of using the party machinery for effective resolution of conflict, the Chairman and some members of the National Working Committee visited the National Assembly recently to dialogue with our legislators.
“The leadership of the party is currently addressing the outcomes as part of the way forward. I am encouraging all the party functionaries to adhere to the truth and to be fair to all parties in any dispute.”