It has emerged that the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Abdullahi Adamu was unhappy with those promoting disunity in the Abia State chapter of the party, saying that the Abia crisis is the most toxic among all the states with problems.
He expressed his displeasure at a meeting he held with stakeholders of Abia APC in Abuja during which he pecifically lashed the former minister of state for Solid Minerals development, Mr. Uche Ogah over his role in the lingering crisis.
Adamu was said to have expressed disappointment with Ogah, who has continued to lead a dissident group to destabilise Abia APC, having refused to allow peace reign even after all the major stakeholders had reconciled the feuding groups at a meeting held on June 18, 2022 at Ntalakwu Oboro in Ikwuano local government.
The APC National Chairman lamehted that several efforts made to unify Abia APC have failed, adding that it was only in Abia that he imposed a sharing formula for elective positions in a bid to harmonise the two feuding groups. He expressed surprise that even after the two groups had accepted the sharing formula some people still went back and continued fishing for trouble.
Senator Adamu warned Ogah to stop runnning from pillar to post but humble himself and work with the governorship candidate of the APC in Abia, High Chief Ikechi Emenike to ensure victory for the party in the forthcoming 2023 general election.
He was said to have told Ogah, without mincing words, that running around in Abuja would be of no help to the former minister as APC has taken decision on its choice of Emenike as the governorship candidate for Abia.
Though he was frustrated by the intransigence of the aggrieved Abia APC members, Senator Adamu has opened a new window of opportunity for peace to return to the party by appointing Senator Chris Adighije to head an eight-man peace and reconciliation committee.
He described the Adighije-led peace and reconciliation committee as “the last step” for peace and unity to reign in Abia APC, warning that he would not accept any excuses if, because of disunity, the party failed to take control of Abia in 2023.
“We will now leave it to the leaders of Abia to go and play their politics in Abia state. Abuja is not about Abia, go to Abia, play politics there, do the necessary lobby, reconcile there because all politics is local,” he said.
Adamu rebuked the trouble makers in Abia APC for giving the national leadership headaches and taking much of their time in settling disputes, saying that Abia would no more be allowed to bring their dispute to Abuja for the National Working Committee to resolve.