LINUS CHIBUIKE
NATIONAL Chairman of Action Alliance, Kenneth Udeze, has been re-elected for a second term in office.
Udeze was re-elected at the party’s national convention held in Abuja, on Sunday.
The party said the convention was in pursuant of Article 13 and 35 of the AA Constitution 2005, as amended.
Udeze was re-elected with 160 votes to beat his closest contender, Mrs Uzenuru Nwachukwu, who polled five votes, just as the party unveiled a roadmap to wrestle power from the ruling All Progressives Congress come 2023.
The party has however approved the expulsion of three state executive members, from Osun and Oyo states, for alleged anti-party activities.
Other elected members at the Sunday convention were Ibrahim Umar (Deputy National Chairman); Abdulaziz Adamu (Vice Chairman, North West); Ali Abacha, (North East); Manga Asha (North Central); Akijan Micheal (South West); Obinna Nwofoke (South East) and Gabriel Baju (South South).
The re-elected National Chairman, while speaking to journalists shortly after his election, thanked members for the confidence reposed in him.
He noted that AA remained one of the fully accredited political parties in Nigeria, with massive prospects, and promised to work assiduously to ensure the party wrestled power from the APC in 2023.
”In the last general election, through my political savviness, we were able to win a lot of seats in the states and the National Assembly. The peace that the party has enjoyed so far, is because I am a team player, and I run a rancour-free administration, where everyone’s opinion counts,” he said.
“It may surprise you to note that most of the challenges we have ever had, were from the outside, those whose intent and purpose is to distract us, but I thank God for faithful party members, who had always stood by me,” the chairman added.
He said the most crucial and important reason for the call to serve the second time, was to “save the soul of the party from political terrorists and hijackers.”
He said, ”Continuity in politics, is a very important political component. I know where we are coming from, I know where we are at the moment, and I know where we are going to. With all intent and purpose, it is the most ideal thing to do.
”The party must be restored back to the intent of our founding fathers in the philosophy of ‘No turning back and no going back’.
“In my second term, I want to make sure that we immortalize the names of those who paid the supreme price in the cause of their membership and contributions with regard to projecting the party with their strength, without monetary inducements, but with total commitment to the ideals they believe in, which have the tendencies of protecting and advancing lives, liberty and democracy.”
He added, “I want to single out compatriots like the first National Chairman of AA, Late Senator Suleiman Salawu (a Second Republic Senator) from Kwara State and also, Alh. Abdullahi Dogolinkita, from Kebbi State.
“There will be in place an annual leadership lecture in honour of these great men in the near future. Above all, I want to make sure that the masses that own the party known as Action Alliance take over the process of abiding strictly to the letters of the constitution because by so doing, sanity and respect will be restored back to the corporate political existence of the party.”
