I’m a founding member of APC, but honestly, we’ve underperformed

Pat Utomi says although he’s a founding member of the All Progressives Congress (APC), honesty behooves him to admit that the party has under-performed.

Speaking with NAN in New York, Utomi said that the party had to be reformed to refocus it to its founding ideals.

The founder and former presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) party said some of the founding fathers were more committed to building APC as an enduring political party.

He, however, said some people are more interested in taking titles in the party, rather than building it.

“I’m a member of the APC; I’m one of the real founding members of the APC,” he said.

“Forget that because some of us committed more to building real stuff and others rushed to take titles; but we founded the APC.

“It’s not been what we thought it would be; let’s be very honest, the party has under-performed, the party’s structure has been poor.

“The party leadership has been poor; government and the party have not worked well together.

“But we shall reform it from within by God’s grace and make it work better. We have to wish on God’s grace and hope that things work differently. Anything that works, that will make a difference, I will do.”

Utomi, a professor of political economy and former special adviser in the Second Republic government of former president Shehu Shagari, said he was not ambitious for political power.

The APC chieftain said he is more interested in whatever will bring relief to the Nigerians from the hardship they have faced under successive administrations.

“All my career, all my life, I’ve always been willing to do anything no matter how sacrificial it is to advance the common good of our people,” he said.

-The Cable