An erstwhile National Publicity Secretary of the defunct New People’s Democratic Party (nPDP), and chieftain of the APC, Chief Eze Chukwuemeka Eze, has told President Muhammadu Buhari and the national leadership of the APC that their moves to reconcile members of the Rivers chapter of the party may be futile.
Eze said those making the moves must first find out the real mission and agenda of those perpetually hanging the party in court with active support of those who boast of controlling the Judiciary.
He said that those destroying the party with litigation may actually be a secret group now in another political party but using court cases as excuse to stay behind and ensure the total destruction of APC while their real party is winning all elections, as a matter of strategy.
Eze, who, however, commended President Buhari and the leadership of the APC over moves to reconcile warring factions within the chapters of the party, urging the national leadership to take a closer look at the Rivers APC crisis because its own case is different and unique.
DAILY POST reported that President Buhari had on 10th February, 2020, approved the reconstitution of the 12 -member Reconciliatory Committee, this time, to be headed by Chief Bisi Akande, while the 2019 governorship candidate of the APC in Cross Rivers State, Sen. John Owan Enoh, serves as secretary.
The sole mandate is to address grievances of party members across the country and resolve existing conflicts in a bid to foster oneness, strengthen the party for better governance, and ensure unity of purpose within the ruling APC.
However, Eze, in a statement obtained by DAILY POST on Tuesday, warned that while reconciliation may be in the minds of those quarrelling in other states, it may not be in the minds of those fighting the party in Rivers State.
He urged the Reconciliation Committee to critically study the events in Rivers State before embarking upon on any reconciliatory move, as anything contrary to this will amount to an exercise in futility..
According to the party chieftain, “Dr Akande-led Reconciliation Committee should note that the case of Rivers State chapter of the party is a bit unique and different from that of other chapters and therefore, cannot be handled in a manner depicting a mere feud, owing to the fact that some extremes and agents of other political parties and external forces are interested and hell bent on destabilizing and weakening the party structure in the State in order to pave way for the operation of a one party system in the State.”
Chief Eze further posited that “in the eyes of the world we have two or three factions within the Rivers APC – Amaechi, Abe and to some extent Aguma’s 3rd Force. This is far from the truth.” Setting the record straight, Eze said, “The truth is that Senator Magnus Abe insisted that if the party’s 2019 gubernatorial ticket is not given to him, then the party will not exist in the State. To achieve this, he hurriedly set up machineries to frustrate the party, and as a result, succeeded in installing the failed PDP Government which has left Rivers people in squalor and pauper.
“Abe’s protracted and divisive acts within the Rivers APC took a disturbing and calamitous trend during the 2019 electioneering processes when the party and its candidates were disallowed to participate in the 2019 electoral contest, paving way for the People’s Democratic Party to clinch victory at the polls at the detriment of Rivers electorate.”
Eze said Senator Abe has made good his threat to punish the APC for not giving him the ticket, and thus wondered what anybody any reconciliation would fetch Senator Abe when he is expected to go and collect his reward for doing a good job for Governor Wike, PDP and his external forces.
“Months after the general elections, one would have thought that Abe and his group would allow peace to prevail to enable the party put its structure in order and allow things to take shape within the party for sober reflection, stock-taking and proper planning for future engagements, but it is worrisome to learn that events have proved otherwise,” he added.
