The Chairman of the All Progressive Congress (APC) Reconciliation Committee, Senator Abdullahi Adamu has come under fire for comments he made after sitting on Abia State matter in Abuja.
The Committee sat on the petition filled by members of the party loyal to former governor of the state and representative of Abia North Senatorial district, Dr. Orji Uzor Kalu against the leadership which emerged after its state congresses last year.
At the conclusion of the congresses, members of the party loyalty to High Chief Ikechi Emenike swept the poll against those led by Kalu which includes the minister of Mines and Steel Development, Dr. Uche Ogah.
Acting chairman, Rural Electrification Agency, Engr Alozie Mac Solomon stated this while addressing newsmen in Umuahia, the state capital, saying the committee might be biased in its report against the winning side.
The party chieftain in the state said the one-time governor of Nasarawa State indicated this when he addressed the press at the end of the sitting by announcing that the committee frowned at Emenike’s absence during the period.
“He referred to Emenike as ‘the complainant who did not appear to defend himself’ and therefore, his committee knows what to do and assured the other party that the case is over in their favour.”
“But, he didn’t mention that Sen Orji Uzor Kalu, his colleague in the Red Chamber who is on the other side of the matter and was supposed to be there failed to do so without excuse,” he further stated.
Continuing, he absolved Emenike from the blame, nothing that: “He had earlier responded to the petition in a letter to the committee in which he said the petition was baseless and ill-will.
The South East representative on the board of the agency added that the secretary of the Contact and Strategy committee of the party therefore, urged the committee to treat the petition as baseless and with lack of merit.
“It is a known fact that Kalu and Adamu enjoy a much closed relationship. They served as governors between 1999 and 2007. Today they are both principal officers of the 9th Senate as chief whip and senate leader.”
He explained that unfortunately, the petitioners have interpreted Adamu’s comments to mean the matter had been resolved in their favour and started jubilating even when the committee is yet to summit its report.
“On Saturday 15th January, Mr. Acho Obioma who claimed to have emerged as chairman in parallel state congress announced on one of the Umuahia-based radio stations would soon hand the party to Orji due to Emenike’s absence.