The youths of the All Progressives Congress in the South East have demanded a proper account of how the funds made available for the 2021 governorship and the 2023 presidential elections were spent in Anambra State, saying doing so is the only way forward for peace to reign in the party.
The youths, under the aegis of the South East APC Young Progressives Forum, in a press statement in Awka, according to Vanguard, said while they welcome the planned July 15 APC stakeholders meeting in the state, those who handled the campaign funds for the two elections should tell the people how the millions of naira were spent.
According to the youths, also to be accounted for were the disputed funds from the 2022 National Convention/Presidential Primary of the APC, which they observed have been the subject of many controversies in which many leaders involved have not properly explained to the satisfaction of party stakeholders.
In a statement copied to the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, the Chief of Staff to the President, Governor Hope Uzodimma of Imo State, who is the chairman of the APC Governors’ Forum, the APC national chairman, among others, and the national convener of the South East APC Young Progressives Forum, Pascal Candle, believed that rendering the accounts is a crucial step towards bringing about true reconciliation and healing for the APC in Anambra State.
Candle said, “We carried out a deep soul searching and sampling of opinions of party members from across different strata in Anambra State, and we discovered that the unresolved controversies from the 2021 governorship election campaign handling, the 2022 APC Presidential primary funds, and the just concluded 2023 presidential campaign fund controversies were basically the major issues on the lips of party members and are bringing so much division in the party.
“We, therefore, arrived at the conclusion that the party needs to resolve these unresolved issues; otherwise, the rebuilding efforts of the party may turn out to be a house built on quicksand, which will collapse at the smallest sign of tremor.
“We state that this call for accountability is in good faith and not targeted at any individual or a section of the party, but in the overall interest of our party, considering the fact that the Anambra 2025 governorship election season has started and the APC cannot afford to go into it with a shaky foundation.
“The party needs to be as united as possible in order to better strategize on how best to bring Anambra State into the progressive fold come 2025.
“We must be seen as a very viable and better alternative to the governing All Progressives Grand Alliance by the Anambra people come 2025, and the journey to that destination starts when we sort out our internal differences and move as one big, united, and focused party.”
According to him, the South East APC Young Progressives Forum has taken it upon itself to be the new conscience of the party in Anambra State and the South East, calling for the immediate setting up of a Truth and Reconciliation Committee by the State Working Committee of the party with inputs from relevant stakeholders.
