By Sarah Eze
The National Working Committee, NWC, of the All Progressives Congress, APC, has reaffirmed Senator Emma Anosike as the recognised Chairman of the party in Anambra State, directing members to withdraw pending court cases and embrace reconciliation to restore unity ahead of future elections.
The resolution was announced on Tuesday in Awka by the APC Deputy National Chairman (South), Dr. Ben Nwoye, who led the party’s National Fact-Finding and Reconciliation Committee to a stakeholders’ engagement themed, “Domesticating Peace at the Grassroots.”
The meeting, held at Chiben Leisure Resort and Hotel, Awka, attracted party leaders, stakeholders, ward executives, women and youth leaders, as well as representatives of the various camps involved in the crisis that followed the party’s governorship primary election in March.
The reconciliation committee identified disputed party structures, alleged controversial candidate substitutions, prolonged litigation and claims of disciplinary actions without due process as some of the issues responsible for the disagreement within the Anambra chapter.
Addressing stakeholders, Nwoye said the engagement marked a transition from dialogue to implementation following an earlier reconciliation meeting held in Abuja, stressing that the objective was to translate the peace initiative into practical solutions across wards and local government areas.
He said the success of the process depended on its acceptance at the grassroots, noting that ward executives, local government officials, women and youth leaders, as well as polling unit officers, remained critical to the party’s electoral success.
“We are not gathered to reopen old wounds but to deepen the peace that began in Abuja. Politics is local, and any peace that does not reach the grassroots is incomplete,” Nwoye said.
Presenting the committee’s resolutions, the deputy national chairman said the National Working Committee had endorsed its recommendations and recognised the Senator Emma Anosike-led State Executive Committee as the legitimate leadership structure of the APC in Anambra State.
“We recognise the state leadership of the party led by Senator Emma Anosike as the chairman, and the party is putting measures in place to harmonise and accommodate other interests so that peace can be restored,” he said.
Nwoye disclosed that although legal disputes were still pending, the national leadership had taken steps to preserve the existing party structure by appealing the court judgment affecting the state executive and securing a stay of execution pending the determination of the matter.
He urged members involved in litigation to withdraw their cases, stressing that political disagreements should be resolved through dialogue and the party’s internal dispute resolution mechanisms rather than prolonged court battles.
“We agreed that people should withdraw all litigations because they lead the party nowhere. There must be discipline in our party. Whether we like it or not, the supremacy of the party must prevail,” he said.
The APC deputy national chairman warned that the party would no longer tolerate actions capable of deepening divisions, insisting that adherence to the APC constitution and internal rules remained compulsory for all members.
“I am not here to massage anyone’s ego. I am here to read a riot act. Throughout this reconciliation process, anyone who constitutes himself or herself into a troublemaker will be treated accordingly. We are one family, and everyone must conduct themselves responsibly,” he warned.
He explained that the committee considered several options, including dissolving rival structures, but resolved to maintain the existing leadership while creating room for genuine inclusion and accommodation of all interests.
Nwoye also reaffirmed that, in line with the APC constitution, the party’s governorship candidate in the last election, Prince Nicholas Ukachukwu, remains the recognised leader of the party in Anambra State, while his running mate, Senator Uche Ekwunife, serves as deputy leader.
Describing grassroots members as the foundation of the party, Nwoye said electoral success depended on strong structures at the community level.
“Elections are won in communities, markets, churches, villages and polling units. A divided party weakens its own electoral prospects,” he said.
He urged party leaders to reopen channels of consultation, encourage honest dialogue and ensure that aggrieved members were given a sense of belonging.
Nwoye warned that any reconciliation process that failed to reach ordinary party members at the grassroots would leave the APC vulnerable to further division, misinformation and manipulation.
He assured stakeholders that all submissions made during the engagement would be documented and presented to the National Working Committee to guide the implementation of an inclusive reconciliation framework.
The APC National Woman Leader, Dr. Mary Alile Idele, described the exercise as a fact-finding and peace-building mission aimed at resolving disagreements threatening the party’s fortunes in Anambra.
“There is a serious issue before us, and that is why we are here. We have not come to run away from the problem; we have come to extinguish the fire,” she said.
Quoting the biblical admonition that “a house divided against itself cannot stand,” Idele urged members to respect the supremacy of the party and place collective interest above personal ambitions.
Also speaking, the APC Deputy National Secretary, Prof. Abdulkarim Abubakar Kana (SAN), said the committee had completed extensive consultations with stakeholders and remained committed to ensuring a lasting resolution of the crisis.
He said the reconciliation process would promote greater inclusion and recognition for members who had remained committed to the party despite internal challenges.
The APC National Legal Adviser, Barrister Murtala Aliyu Kankia, and the National Leader of Persons with Disabilities, Hon. Tolu Bankole, urged members to sustain dialogue, noting that reconciliation required compromise, mutual respect and teamwork.
Responding on behalf of the state leadership, Senator Emma Anosike welcomed the intervention of the National Working Committee and pledged the commitment of the Anambra APC leadership to implementing the resolutions reached by the committee. He assured members that the party would reach out to aggrieved stakeholders, promote an inclusive leadership structure and work towards rebuilding unity ahead of future elections.
A former state chairman of the party, Chief Basil Ejidike, appealed for genuine reconciliation, warning that neither faction could independently achieve electoral success without unity.
The reconciliation mission included the APC National Woman Leader, Dr. Mary Alile Idele; Deputy National Secretary, Prof. Abdulkarim Abubakar Kana (SAN); National Legal Adviser, Barrister Murtala Aliyu Kankia; and National Leader of Persons with Disabilities, Hon. Tolu Bankole.
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