reports that this appeal was made public during a press conference held on Wednesday in Abuja.
The group comprises several notable figures, including Senator Ibrahim Musa, Hon. Sanusi Aliyu, Hon. Mohammed Tukur, Senator Ahmed Sani, Hon. Ibrahim Chachangi, Hon. Yusuf Bala, and the APC National Vice Chairman (North West), Hon. Garuba Datti.
Speaking on behalf of the forum, former House of Representatives member voiced the group’s grievances, stressing the need for recognition and inclusion of the within the party’s framework.
“We cannot sit here and pretend marginalisations do not exist. We cannot sit here and pretend that we were not thrown out of a vehicle that we created. We cannot sit here and pretend that our supporters, the 12 million votes that we can garner at any point in time, are not also disenfranchised because of the antecedents of the previous administration and how it has continued,” Gebi stated.
He further reflected on the sacrifices made by CPC members in building the APC, reiterating their loyalty despite feeling sidelined.
“However, being loyal party members, we created this baby, we funded it against all odds from our legal earnings when it was not popular to do so. We fought the PDP when it was very dangerous to do so, and we still remain.
“However, it is not too late to cause-correct. So when you call us a faction, we are not a faction. We are the bona fide members of APC because we gave the money, we gave the blood, we gave the sweat for this merger to happen.
“Having been out of office for 10 years. What becomes of me? What becomes of my people? Politics is a game of representation. Leaders spoke of the North West and I am from the North East. There are problems in the North East, and we can argue that the North East is marginalised at some level or the other.
“However, it does not negate the fact that we are bonafide members of the APC. But political parties are supposed to nurture those who invested in them, but we still have a situation where we have usurpers, interlopers, and criminals jumping in through the window. I will not sit down here, it has never been my nature. It is not the nature of the CPC. Certainly, it is not our nature or our DNA to shy away from the truth,” Gebi noted.
Also speaking, the forum’s Chairman, , reaffirmed the group’s recognition of former Nasarawa State Governor, Senator , as the undisputed leader of the CPC bloc within the APC, dismissing any claim to that role by former Attorney General of the Federation, .
He urged CPC loyalists across Northern Nigeria and beyond to ignore any statements or representations made on behalf of the CPC without proper authorisation.
“It is also pertinent to emphasise that the CPC, having produced only one Governor in the federation—Sen. Tanko Al-Makura, Governor of Nasarawa State—this body of duly elected members of the 7th National Assembly recognises him as our leader.
“This forum will work with him to ensure that what we worked hard and sacrificed so much for this party, our party, the ruling party, our APC—succeeds in delivering, beyond expectations, the yearnings and aspirations of Nigerians, which were the instruments that led to the merger in the first place,” Ila declared.
