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Vice Chairman/Assistant National Publicity Secretary of the association, Mr. Olawale Ebietomiye, spoke during an interview with newsmen in Birnin-Kebbi, Kebbi State.
Ebietomiye said that Nigerians deserves a free and fair elections from the government of President Goodluck Jonathan.
He insisted that no life must be lost or property destroyed during the elections.
He stated that Nigerians have the right to go to the polling booths, cast their ballots and return home peacefully to resume their normal businesses.
He stated that most Nigerians in the Diaspora are prepared to return home if the Presidential candidate of the APC, General Muhammadu Buhari, wins.
Ebietomiye said: “We the APC in USA and Chicago wants to make sure that our people benefit from the dividends of democracy and the reason is because it is nice for us as Nigerians to make sure that we take care of our people regardless of any differences or any political party we are in support of.
“Our stand is that we must have a free and fair election and again, no life must be lost because of election. And again, property should not be destroyed. We are one Nigeria. We are not divided.
“We will not let anything divide us, neither anything to bring us back. This is 21st Century. We see the way they do it in other countries – the United States, Europe they did elections and they were free and fair. Somebody must win when there is an election.
“So, anybody that wins, let’s declare the results. Lets’s make it free, make it fair and let everybody go on their way. After the election we are still one Nigeria, so why should we destroy ourselves or kill ourselves down because of election.
“Our message is that for these coming elections, let us make sure it is free and let our people go out and and vote and exercise their right. We don’t want anybody to intimidate anybody during the elections.
“The atmosphere should be good for us to exercise our franchise – people should be able to go to the polling booths, cast their votes and go to their homes peacefully and if there is any observer to observe the election, they have the right to do that.
So we should not intimidate anybody. We should make sure we take care of people – they come to the polling booths, they cast their votes, they go home safe.
“They don’t want to go home injured or anybody being killed because of the election. So this is what we stand for.”
He added that the country needs change in all its ramification if it must develop and ensure good quality of life for its people.
He said: “As an APC supporter, we need a change. We need a change in everything – in the economy, agriculture and education. The way we are going is not the best.
“We want to go a direction that our people will have quality education, have sound economic system, have good agriculture and develop ourselves.
“We Nigerians are agile people – we work and we stay by what we do. Even the Nigerians in Diaspora, if you see them, they work, they send money home to their families to take care of their families and to take care of their people.
“All the things that we do here. So this is what we want our government to have at the backs of their mind.”
On whether he plans to relocate to Nigeria if there is change as a result of the elections, Ebietomiye said: “Of course, if there is change, I will tell you that 99 per cent of Nigerians will like to come back home because wherever you go in the world, no matter how good or how better it is, you are still a second class citizen.
“Your coming to your home country makes you a first class citizen. You will be free to work around.
“You will be free to communicate with your people, there is nobody that will intimidate you because this is a country that you were born and bred in, so if our country in conducive, for people to move around and there are good roads, electricity and water, our people will come back home.
“I will tell you, 99 per cent of Nigerians in abroad will not want to stay over there. They talk about it, they want to come back home.
“Personally because of the business I do, I have interaction with many Nigerians and they come in they share their feelings. We see our medical doctors, coming abroad to do to less menial jobs.
“That does not befit us as Nigerians because we have this sound education. Our people want to come back home if the country is conducive for them to stay.”
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