In a move to resolve the recent skirmishes and disenchantment across the rank and file of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Enugu State as a result of the multiple claims and counter-claims on zoning of party offices, eminent personalities across the 3 senatorial zones have met to resolve the issues.
A total of about 45 eminent leaders of the party, representing the 17 local government areas of the state, were at the meeting.
The meeting, which held on the 1st of June at the Olive Gate Hotel Enugu, is the brainchild of the member of the BOT representing the South East on the APC’s Caretaker and Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee, Chief Ken Nnamani, ostensibly to douse the recent tension within the party after the state Caretaker Chairman, Dr. Ben Nwoye, unilaterally announced a zoning arrangement for the party.
The ripple effect from the chairman’s statement elicited an uproar especially from the Enugu North zone, that opined that such a zoning arrangement was illegal and did not represent the interest of their zone within the party structure.
At the stakeholder’s meeting held in Enugu which was held behind closed doors, a number of resolutions were reached.
According to a source present at the meeting that begged for anonymity, some of the resolutions that were unanimously adopted included the expansion of the stakeholders meeting in the future to accommodate more voices and ideas, rejection of any form of zoning until the national leadership of the party points to a workable direction and setting up of a screening committee to vet the candidates for the state executives, especially the position of Chairman.
This proposed committee will be responsible for vetting the curriculum vitae of all prospective aspirants before the congress.
The four members of the screening committee will be made up of the current Chairman Dr. Ben Nwoye and a representative from each of the three zones in the state: Rt. Hon. Eugene Odoh (North), Barr. Mmaniel Joseph (West), and Barr. Ifeanyi Nworga (East).
The stakeholders’ meeting held that a cardinal aspect of choosing who will fly the banner of the party in the coming gubernatorial election in 2023 will be determined by the best candidate that will have the highest odds of winning the general elections.
This, they opined, is a major prerequisite based on the fact that APC does not have the luxury of becoming an opposition party. Rather they suggested that the party will strive to put its best foot forward when the time comes for picking a governorship candidate.
Many attendees of the stakeholders meeting were very hopeful that such meetings called by Sen. Ken Nnamani will help guide the party to a better future in the state.
Speaking outside the venue of the event, a youth leader of the APC in Enugu state, Ozo Ejike Aroh, commended the leaders of the party for their foresight in nipping in the bud, a crisis that was already brewing.
He said, “Though I’m not among those officially invited to this meeting, I came as an observer and I’ve monitored the deliberations of the meeting. I’m very optimistic that if we as a party in Enugu State, stick to the recommendations made here, there’s no way we won’t have a united front to push for victory at the coming elections.”
However some sections of the party faithful among those denied entry into the venue of the event, were not at all pleased with the exclusion and vented their frustrations at the venue and on social media.
A youth leader from Enugu West zone, Emmanuel Steven Amos, bitterly lamented what he termed as “unfair practice of exclusion” and roundly blamed the convener of the meeting, Senator Ken Nnamani, of using his powers to deny them entry.
It will be recalled that several stakeholder meetings have been held within the three senatorial zones after the now unpopular statement from the state party chairman alleging a zoning arrangement for the party.
In some of such meetings, especially those that held at Enugu East and Enugu North senatorial zones, several positions were taken that were about to set the party on its familiar route of division and disunity.
With a critical zone like Enugu North, releasing an 8-point communique that largely formed the basis for this urgent state-wide stakeholders meeting in Enugu, it is obvious that APC in Enugu state might have decided to now tow the path of peace and negotiations in resolving their differences.
