The governing All Progressives Congress (APC) on Tuesday announced the composition of a nine-member National Reconciliation Committee to reconcile aggrieved members of the party across the country.
The committee is to be led by a former Nasarawa State Governor, Abdullahi Adamu, who currently represents the Nasarawa West Senatorial District of the state at the Senate.
Other members of the committee are the Minister of Special Duties and former Benue State governor, George Akume; former Enugu State governor, Sullivan Chime; former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara; and the Third Republic governor of Jigawa State, Saad Birnin Kudu.
Also, a former Deputy Governor of Lagos State, Oluranti Adebule, Secretary to the Kebbi State Government, Suleiman Argungu, and the Commissioner for Health in Cross River State, Beta Edu are also members of the committee.
Moses Adeyemo will serve as the secretary of the committee.
A statement by the interim national secretary of the APC, John Akpanudoedehe, said the committee would be inaugurated on a date to be announced.
Polarised party
The party, in the build-up to its national convention, has been experiencing internal crisis as members defied the Mala Buni-led interim national caretaker committee to hold parallel congresses at ward and local government levels in some states.
Although the party has decided to forge ahead by fixing October 2 for its state congresses on Monday, some of its members appear not prepared to allow peace prevail in their chapters.
The discord between the leadership of the party in states like Kwara, Imo, Ogun, Zamfara, Lagos, Osun, Enugu, Delta among others has continued to fester as they failed to reconcile their divergent views on how the party should be run.
For instance, in Kwara State, the party has been polarised as members are queueing behind the Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, and the state governor, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, both of who are leading different factions. The factions held a parallel ward and LG congresses.
There have also been reports of affronts between the two factions loyal to Governor Dapo Abiodun of Ogun State and a former governor and serving senator, Ibikunle Amosun, in the state.
The two have been at loggerheads since the build-up to the 2019 governorship election in the state as Mr Amosun declined support for the candidacy of Mr Abiodun.
There have been disagreements between the Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola and his political protégé-turned-successor, Gboyega Oyetola, the governor of Osun State.
Although the two have dismissed the existence of discord between them, there have been numerous cases of clashes between party members loyal to them in the state.
It has also been reported that Osun is among the states where parallel APC ward and LGA congresses were held.
In Zamfara state, the crisis in the party appears to have deepened with the defection of the state Governor, Bello Matawalle, from the PDP to the APC.
The Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Festus Keyamo and the Deputy Senate President, Ovie Omo-Agege, both from Delta State, have reportedly disagreed on the conduct of party’s congresses in the state, which had hitherto witnessed division among its leaders.
There have continued to be clashes between supporters of Governor Hope Uzodinma of Imo State and his predecessor and the senator representing Imo West Senatorial District, Rochas Okorocha, as the duo never hid their dislike for each other. Mr Uzodinma’s distrust for Mr Okorocha and the latter’s divisive comments seem to have continued to worsen the state APC crisis.
Enugu and Lagos are among the states where members have been seen at loggerheads and possibly in need of the new reconciliation committee to look into.
Previous reconciliation efforts
A similar committee was inaugurated in February 2020 by the Adams Oshiomhole-led NWC to address the discord among members of the ruling party.
At the time, former interim National Chairman of the APC, Bisi Akande, was appointed the chairman of a 12-member mediating team while the current deputy speaker, Mr Idris Wase, served as the deputy chairman.