The two leading protagonists in the Abia State All Progressives Congress (APC) crisis, Senator Orji Uzor Kalu and Chief Ikechi Emenike were conspicuously absent at the National Reconciliation Committee meeting of the Party on Friday. While the Orji Kalu’s group was represented by Senator Chris Adighije, Nnanna Kalu, Dr. Alex Otti and the factional Chairman-elect of the Party, Acho Obioma among others, Chief Emenike submitted a detailed 3-part memo to the Committee. This is contrary to the insinuation by Senator Abdulahi Adamu that Chief Emenike shunned the Committee meeting.
According to Hon. Okey Ezeala, the Publicity Secretary of the APC in Abia State, “ all over the world, some people can opt to be physically present before a committee while others may send written responses which Chief Emenike did in this instance case”. Ezeala finds it strange that the Senator Adamu led committee did not deem it fit to invite the elected exco of the APC in Abia State. “How do you shave people’s hair in their absence”, he queried.
He added that Chief Emenike in his report urged the Committee to permit the Orji Kalu’s group the opportunity to face the consequences of their decision to boycott the APC national congress. He pointed out that Chief Emenike attached two full court judgments that backed the congresses of the National Headquarters of the Party conducted in Abia State.
It could be recalled that the Orji Uzor Kalu faction of the Party led by Donatus Nwankpa did not participate in last October’s congress, which produced Enyinnaya Harbour as state chairman of the party. Harbour, however, died on December 9, 2021.
On January 8, 2022, Abia APC elected a new chairman to replace Harbour. The Chairman of the special state congress committee, Babatunde Kolawole, revealed that the National Working Committee of the APC had scheduled the congress to fill the vacant position in the state executive committee. He announced that Kingsley Ononogbu polled 1,069 votes to clinch the chairmanship.