The APC in Abia State is divided between the factions led by chief Donatus Nwankpa and Emenike over the party’s ward and local government congresses. The Emenike group is recognized by the national leadership of the party.
Nwosu stated that before the congress he had approached Nwankpa members of his executive committee to unite the party and organize the congress but Nwankpa rejected the proposal.
He alleged that some stakeholders of the APC have been working with the PDP administration, stressing that the national leadership of the party decided to redirect and put the party into the hands of genuine APC people.
According to the former governorship aspirant, the issue of occupying leadership positions in APC and taking directive from another party seeking to destroy APC will be sorted out soon.
He said; The people fighting the recognized Chief Ikechi Emenike leadership of the APC are not working for interests that are not of the APC. These are people who have been working against the interest of APC for long, they are no longer recognized. There are the same people who worked for PDP in 2015 and 2019 polls and the national leadership of the party has seen good reason to redirect to the party.
“What happened was that before this congress, I went to Chief Ikechi Emenike and asked him to come out and embrace everyone in the state. I also met Hon. Donatus Nwankpa with some members of the state executive committee. I’m in the mainstream of the APC, not a splinter group.
“I told him that this man (Chief Emenike) you people said you are suspending is the secretary of the party’s committee at the national level. The federal government controlled by the party has appointed him as pro chancellor and chairman of the governing council of UNN.
“The federal government of Nigeria also appointed his wife as the Ambassador of Nigeria to the United States of America. Chief Emenike was the chairman of Anambra state governorship screening panel. But here in the state, you said you have suspended him, it doesn’t portray us as reasonable people. I told them that the party congress is near the corner and that we should bring every member together and organize one congress. Hon. Donatus Nwankpa disagreed.
“And I told him that as far as I’m concerned, wherever the national leadership of the party recognizes, is where I belong to. The congresses came, the national headquarters sent a committee to organize it and I participated in the ward and LG congresses. Hon. Donatus Nwankpa declared the committee sent by the national headquarters wanted, he said that they have nothing to do with them and went ahead to do a mockery. Now the result of the congress conducted by the committee sent by the national headquarters was recognized.
“Outlaws are bound to disobey the law, when you are playing football and the referee blows for a goal and you say you don’t agree with that goal? What are you doing when you don’t agree with the referee’s whistle and you are still in the field of play. That’s foolhardiness. The rule of engagement in party politics is that political party is one. State chapters of political parties are mainly administrative. Once the national headquarters take a stand in primary elections, congresses and other programmes, it becomes the stand of the party. Cases are not far- fetched, it happened in Abia state; Chief Ikechi Emenike versus PDP in 2010 to 2011.
“The national headquarters sent the committee to organize ward and local government congresses and somebody who said he is a member of the party is saying something else. It is aggravated anti party offence. Let’s see where they are going. I can assure you that these people are not working for APC. At the conclusion of this congress, I can assure you that every member will fall in line, but those who want to belong to any other party will move to such a party.”
Reminded on the presence of some chieftains of the party such as Dr. Alex Otti and others during a recent stakeholders’ meeting convened by Nwankpa, the former governorship aspirant tasked journalists to verify if the stakeholders actually attended the meeting in contravention of the directive of the APC national leadership.
“The national leadership of the party knows who is who in the party. And if you mention Senator Orji Uzor Kalu as belonging to the other faction, you should go and verify your claim because I know he belongs to the party, not a faction. But it is very unfortunate if the senator has chosen to belong to a faction. The national leadership of the party can’t give a directive and another person does not agree with it. I wonder where you got this information, whether it is correct because I don’t see Senator Orji Uzor Kalu leaving the national leadership to go and belong to a faction in Abia State. Also go and verify if Dr. Alex Otti belongs to the faction. Was Senator Orji Uzor Kalu and Hon. Benjamin Kalu at the stakeholders meeting convened by the Nwankpa faction? So, journalists should not link our party leaders to the faction.
“If you didn’t see Senator Orji Uzor Kalu , Hon. Benjamin Kalu and other leaders at the meeting of the Donatus Nwankpa faction, does it not mean that they don’t belong there? If you saw Dr. Alex Otti, he is a gentleman, if he has made a mistake, he will correct it and comply with the directive of the national leadership.”
