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How I gave APC N5 million in 2014, by Ike Ekweremadu

By Lawrence Njoku (Enugu), George Opara (Abuja) and Gloria Ehiaghe (Lagos)
03 September 2018   |   3:06 am
Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu yesterday said he supported the All Progressives Congress (APC) with N5 million at its formative stage in 2014 to help expand the political space. He said the APC would not have emerged victorious in the 2015 elections had the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and former President Goodluck Jonathan been repressive.…

Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu

Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu yesterday said he supported the All Progressives Congress (APC) with N5 million at its formative stage in 2014 to help expand the political space.

He said the APC would not have emerged victorious in the 2015 elections had the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and former President Goodluck Jonathan been repressive.

Besides, he decried alleged muzzling of the oppositions by the ruling APC and canvassed the need to broaden the political space as a way of improving democracy.

Ekweremadu, who declared his intention to return to the Senate to represent Enugu West Senatorial District for the fifth term in 2019, spoke when stakeholders in his senatorial district paid him a courtesy visit.

They had come present to the senator the PDP nomination form, which they purchased for him, asking him to return to the Senate in 2019 to continue with his quality representation.

He said their visit came at a time he was still pondering his next move.

In a statement by his Media Adviser, Uche Anichukwu in Abuja, Ekweremadu said: “The beauty of democracy is the enlargement of the political space in which everybody is free to participate, bring and exchange ideas, and disagree in order to agree. But we are not seeing that today.

“I will tell you something that is going to shock you. In 2014 when APC started, they wanted to register members in Enugu State.

Senator Chris Ngige called me and said they were having problem registering members in Enugu State, and asked if I could help them.

I was the Deputy President of the Senate in the PDP, but I gave them N5 million. Ngige is still my witness.”

President of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Enugu State Chapter, Alex Ogbonnia and National President, Enugu West Peoples Assembly, who spoke during the presentation of the nomination form to Ekweremadu, called on the Igbo to return their first 11, including Ekweremadu.

Meanwhile, Nigerians have been advised to vote for leaders with genuine and clean records to provide quality leadership in the country.

President and Chairman of Council, Nigeria Institute of Management (NIM), Prof. Olukunle Iyanda, who spoke in Lagos at the weekend, said aside politics, Nigerians should look at what the aspiring candidates have achieved to show that they have the competence and skills to provide good leadership for Nigerians.

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