FromFemi Folaranmi, Yenagoa

FormerAPC deputy governorship candidate in the 2023 general elections in Bayelsa State, Great Joshua MacIver, has declared his total commitment to the re-election of President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 general elections.

Maclver, in a statement yesterday, declared that President Tinubu’s re-election project is non-negotiable.

 He, however, warned APC leaders in the state to look inward and take note of certain factors that may hinder or cut short the party’s victory.

According to him, such noticeable pitfalls include the imbalance in the united front being put up by the State Governor, Senator Douye Diri, among various political blocs in the state.

While noting that before Diri joined the APC, there were two political blocs in the Bayelsa APC with a ratio of 95% to 5%, Maclver stressed that since Diri’s entrance into the party, the power bloc with 5% support base is being carried along in the affairs of the party leaving the greater percentage to their fate.

This, he pointed out, portends grave danger for the party because the situation has the potential to build anger and dissatisfaction among party members.

The statement read in part: “The consequence of this has been the high-level defection we have witnessed in the party recently, and we believe more may likely follow if we do not put our house in order.

“If we do not pull together as a party, we may witness a situation where we will lose key stakeholders, especially after the State and National Assembly primaries, as well as the gubernatorial primaries.

“Finally, while it is very clear that we are the party to beat in the 2027 elections and that our loyalty to Mr. President is non-negotiable, we must make haste to say that we cannot afford to create situations or loopholes in our unity that will be exploited by other political interests in the state. We cannot afford to under-rate anyone.

“Our core interest remains the re-election of Mr. President, a project to which we have committed our all. We also pledge our total loyalty to the party, as we have no alternative to the APC. However, our concern is that we must, as a party, look inwards and ensure that we do not create loopholes that can impede our common goal.”

 MacIver congratulated the Chairman of the party in the state, Hon. Warman Ogoriba, and welcomed his emergence at this critical time in the history of the party.