‘Party cohesion, unity among Nigerians is my goal’ – APC Chairmanship aspirant
Senator Umar Al-Makura, the past governor of Nassarawa state, says he is vying for the APC chairmanship position to promote cohesion in the party and help foster unity among Nigerians.
Al-Makura stated this when he met with the North-Central Peoples’ Forum leaders at the organisation’s secretariat in Abuja.
According to him, the nation began to totter towards the brinks when it “forgot” the sacrifices made by the region’s people to defend the oneness of Nigeria during the 1966 Biafra civil war and beyond.
Al-Makura said that as a committed and loyal member of the Forum, he had always supported the organisation and sought its blessings for the APC chairmanship position ahead of the party’s national convention.
“Whatever I’m angling, I do it not for myself, but the society and our homestead. As it is now, the lowest common multiple in Nigerian politics is the geographical zone. Even when people are dilly-dallying about the presidential ticket, they speak in terms of zones and not the states.
“So, the earlier, the North-Central zone gets set, ready, committed, united, and speak with one voice; the better for us to assert ourselves and assume what belongs to us. We have every reason to be proud as people of the North-Central zone.
“If you look at the history of this country, you will discover that the people of the North-Central have paid their dues physically, economically, and security-wise.
“It is now time for people of this country to look towards the North-Central and reciprocate those good gestures, sacrifices, and commitments that our people have made for the unity, stability and survival of this country.
“My motive is not for the fun of the position, but the cohesion of the party, and also for the North-central region to partake in putting together and determining the fate of this country in the years to come.”
Al-Makura, who described the North-Central as a critical zone in the country, said that as a son of the region, he plans to ensure that Nigeria remains united. The geopolitical zone is not left behind in the scheme of things.
“It is for this reason that we have come to solicit for your support, encouragement, blessings and prayers for my aspirations as I aspire to the office of the national chairman of the APC. It is high time we took our fate in our hands,” he said.
The aspirant dismissed insinuations that the presidential ambition of some APC politicians from the North-Central zone would mar his chances of success during the party’s upcoming national convention. Al-Makura maintained that as an interested member in the matter, he would rather not say much about it.
“The North-central has come to be. So, anyone from the zone which is aspiring for any position either in the party or in the country has my support,” he said.
The National Chairman of the Forum and former Minister of State for Health, Arc. Gabriel Yakubu Aduku, receiving Al-Makura and his supporters, described him as a pillar in the North-central region.
Nonetheless, Aduku stressed that the North-Central People’s Forum was a non-partisan group, but it would not shy away from supporting a ‘good product’ when and where it found one.
“We want to believe that at the end of it all, we will have cause to celebrate,” he added.
Suzan O./NAN
