The lingering crisis that bedevilled Abia state chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has come to an end as the two factions reconciled their differences and decided come together as one united party and poised to wrest power come 2023.
They agreed that Abia APC no longer have two factions, two party chairmen nor two governorship candidates but one state chairman under the leadership of Dr Kingsley Ononogbu.
The party also explained that the only governorship candidate of the party is High Chief Ikechi Emenike.
These positions were contained as part of the communique raised at the end of the expanded stakeholders meeting involving the two hitherto factions held on Saturday at Hon Emeka Atuma’s country home, Ntalakwu, Oboro in Ikwuano Local Government area of Abia state.
Speaking at the reconciliation meeting, the Immediate past state chairman of Abia APC, Hon Donatus Nwankpa, who was at the helm of the factional wranglings preached peace and reconciliation and urged party members to jettison divisive activities and embrace the only one APC in Abia.
He said that the people of Abia have been crying to APC “to save them from enslavement by the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) but due to the divisions in the ranks of the main opposition party, the yoke of bad governance still exists in the state.
“Today we have achieved reconciliation. Today is the end of factionalisation in Abia APC,” Nwankpa stated, adding that there would be harmonisation and total integration with participatory role for every party member.
The new sense of unity was loudly stressed in the seven-point resolution adopted and affirmed at the meeting and read by the former Speaker of Abia House of Assembly, Rt Hon Martin Azubuike, who was in the factional camp before.
In their resolution which they christened, “Ntalakwu Declaration” the freshly reconciled party leaders and stakeholders affirmed Chief Emenike as leader and governorship candidate of Abia APC with Dr Kingsley Ononogbu as the state chairman.
Addressing the gathering of party leaders, stakeholders, elders and members, Chief Emenike described the reconciliation in the Abia APC as “the first major step in the long journey to Abia Government House”.
“We have everything in Abia APC to win election,” he said, adding “with peace and unity now prevailing in the party, the 2023 general election would be a rich harvest for APC as the party would not only win the governorship but also the legislative seats.
He promised to provide a purposeful and inclusive leadership for Abia APC, giving every party men every a sense of belonging that would spur them to work very hard for the success ofnthe party in 2023.
“We are together,” he declared and assured that he would not renege in any of his promises to strengthen the party to take over power in Abia and make everybody happy.
Other speakers at the event include Deputy Chief Whip, House of Representatives, Hon Nkeiruka Onyejeocha, House spokesman, Hon Benjamin Kalu, national welfare officer of APC, Hon Friday Nwosu, former labour minister, Chief Emeka Wogu, the senatorial candidate of Abia APC for Abia Central, Hon Emeka Atuma, who hosted the party gathering.