After months of internal wrangling and bickering, warring groups in the Abia State All Progressives Congress (APC) has resolved to bury their differences and close ranks under the leadership of Ikechi Emenike, in the interest of the party and for the good of Abia State.
The factional groups and their officials in the 184 wards, 17 local governments of Abia and their executives, were brought to a roundtable at Ntalakwu Oboro in Ikwuano Local Government Area, reconciled and integrated into the mainstream party leadership.
In a seven-point resolution, tagged: ‘Ntalakwu Resolution’, and read by the former speaker of Abia legislature, Martin Azubuike, the leaders, members and stakeholders declared Abia State APC is one united party under the chairmanship of Kinsley Ononogbu and the leadership of Emenike.
They also agreed, recognised and acknowledged that Emenike “is the one and only governorship candidate of Abia APC for 2023,” and that the party has only one secretariat which is the one located at 40, Uyo Street, Umuahia, where Ononogbu has his office.
The resolution signed by Emenike, Emeka Atuma, Nkeiruka Onyejeocha, Benjamin Kalu, and Ononogbu, among others, appealed to party leaders to use their positions to ensure genuine reconciliation and harmonisation from state down to the grassroots level of the party.
Emenike described the day of reconciliation as “a special day” in which truth has finally prevailed despite the length of time it took.
“Peace has come to Abia APC,” he said, adding, “from today, there is no faction. We are together; there will be no discrimination and everybody will be happy.”
Among the huge crowd at the reconciliation meeting were party leaders, elders, state and federal lawmakers, and national officials from Abia as well as the party’s candidates for the 2023 poll.
All the party leaders and stakeholders from the hitherto two divides that spoke at the event acknowledged that peace and reconciliation were long over due noting that the party has now become more strengthened to dislodge the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Deputy Chief Whip of the House of Representatives, Onyejeocha, said many people had thought that the feud in Abia APC would have made the party to collapse but it has weathered the storm to emerge stronger.
House spokesman, Kalu said: “Our coming together has already generated fears in the camps of not only the PDP, but also the Labour Party and All Progressives Grand Alliance.
Atuma, host of the reconciliation meeting and APC senatorial candidate for Abia Central, said there was no victor and no vanquished in the intra-party squabbles that has now come to an end, adding that “there is no love lost if you believe in our party.”