We read with rude shock the sponsored story published in the Front Page of Thisday newspaper and other newspapers today the 19th day of March, 2015 to the effect that 12 of 26 Political Parties have pledged their loyalty to the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the 2015 Presidential Election. We find the inclusion of our name in the list of these compromising Political Parties in absolute bad test.
The United Progressive Party (UPP) in its inaugural National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting of 13th November 2012 published in our Communiqué that the Party has zoned its Presidential slot to the South-East geopolitical zone of Nigeria. This policy statement was actualized on the 11th of December, 2014 at the Party’s National Convention held at Aba where Chief (Dr) Chekwas Okorie and Alhaji (Barrister) Bello Umar emerged as Presidential and Vice Presidential Candidates respectively. Our Party commenced campaign for the coveted office of President thereafter with as much commitment and diligence as it could muster. It is a common knowledge that our Presidential Candidate Chief (Dr) Chekwas Okorie has emerged as one of the three foremost contenders for the office of President of Nigeria. The Party’s strategy of grassroots mobilization and strong and powerful message in the well articulated Revolutionary Agenda of our Presidential candidate has brightened our chances of winning the Presidential election tremendously. The fact that UPP has restored the missing Third Leg of the Nigeria political tripod is now of common and public knowledge.
It is therefore inconceivable, malicious and wicked political blackmail to drag the name of our Party to a gang-up we know nothing about. We have tried to the best of our ability to avoid hate-speeches, campaign of calumny, denigration of elder statesmen and public office holders and the use of acerbic language likely to heat up the polity in all our campaign up till this time. We wish to maintain this attitude of decorum and civility and plead with those misrepresenting us not to provoke us into joining the bandwagon of political desperadoes who create confusion and trouble where none exists. We doubt very much if the leadership of APC is party to this absurdity.
We have nothing against any group or Party wishing to support any of the foremost Political Parties including supporting the UPP, but it smacks of political misconduct and criminality to drag the name of a foremost Political Party like the United Progressive Party (UPP) into a conspiracy we know nothing about.
We wish to assure all Nigerians, our supporters and members nationwide that Chief (Dr.) Chekwas Okorie is very much in the race for the 2015 Presidential Election in Nigeria on the platform of the United Progressive Party with the head of tiger as its symbol. The public should therefore disregard any insinuation that our great Party has capitulated at this hour of our greatest expectation in the successful outcome of the Presidential election.
DR. UGORJI O. UGORJI
DIRECTOR-GENERAL,
CHEKWAS OKORIE PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN ORGANIZATION (COPCO)
