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Abia State’s All Progressives Congress (APC) stakeholders are seeking to turn the page on their bitter divisions, engaging in talks aimed at healing the rifts that led to the party’s factionalization in the state.
The party’s 24 Abia State House of Assembly candidates, who contested in the 2023 election, put aside their political differences and came together in Abuja, fostering a renewed sense of cooperation and shared purpose.
Key stakeholders are calling for an end to the infighting that has plagued the APC in Abia State, pressing party leaders to ensure a more inclusive approach that gives all factions a seat at the table in state, local, and ward leadership positions.
With the party’s unity hanging in the balance, Anderson Akaliro, the only APC representative in the House of Assembly, is urging the national leadership to step in and broker a peace deal by convening an emergency meeting with all leaders and stakeholders in Abia State.
In a communique titled ‘Abia APC Crisis Peace Initiative’, Akaliro stressed the importance of involving the South East zonal leadership, party figures from Abuja, key stakeholders, and all 2023 APC candidates for the Abia House of Assembly and National Assembly in a roundtable discussion to secure a peace agreement.
Akaliro appealed for a ceasefire in the intra-party conflict, emphasizing that a unified party is a prerequisite for conducting credible and transparent primaries in 2026. He urged all parties to embrace peace and unity, setting the stage for a stronger, more cohesive APC in Abia State.
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“All individual factions within the ranks and files of the party should be resolved, and all factions should fall back into the party as one indivisible unit.
“We are aware of the forthcoming Congress, and we employ the party leadership to commit to ensuring that all interest groups are duly represented in the state, LGA, and ward party positions.
“We want peace in the Abia APC because there are multiple factions, which is why we lost the election.
24 of us contested for the state assembly election and 23 lost; the faction contributed to our loss.
“We only have one person as an APC member who won the election,” he said.
He pinpointed the sinister forces driving the party’s infighting, notably the imposition of candidates, selfish ambitions, and personal pride, which are fueled by conflicting interests and personalities, as the key obstacles to unity.
Akaliro implored President Tinubu and the national chairman to leverage their influence and convene a peace summit with all stakeholders, including the 2023 Abia State candidates, to resolve the party’s internal conflicts and chart a path forward for the party’s unity and progress.
According to him, “the facade of unity is but a veil over the fissures that have led to our collective losses in political contests” and it is time for introspection and action.
“It is our firm belief that through reconciliation and unity, the APC in Abia State will emerge stronger and victorious in future electoral endeavors,” he added.
As the party’s ranks continue to swell with new entrants, Akaliro stressed the imperative of burying hatchets and creating a harmonious atmosphere that promotes unity and galvanizes the party’s electoral prospects.