Tony John, Port Harcourt
The senator Magnus Abe-led faction of the All Progressives Congress (APC), in Rivers State, has initiated an Outreach and Reconciliation Committee to reunite aggrieved members of the party in the state.
The decision was part of the resolutions contained in the group’s communiqué issued, on Monday, after a dispassionate and robust appraisal of current happenings, both at the national and State levels, in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital.
Among the signatories to the communiqué were Senators Wilson Ake and Abe, former Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Chibudom Nwuche, Elder Chidi Wihioka, Maurice Pronen, Chief Allwell Onyesoh and Dr. Ipalibo Harry.
Earlier, Sen. Abe, representing Rivers South-East Senatorial District, announced Senator Ake as Chairman of the five-man Outreach and Reconciliation Committee, whose mandate is to ensure that aggrieved members of APC in Rivers are reunited.
He said: “The time has come for this party to be serious. If we don’t mend fences, we are likely to be shortchanged in the future. The Outreach and Reconciliation Committee is to reach out the party leadership in the State.
“We carefully chose people, who we believe their demeanour and disposition a credible. They should reach out the All Progressives Congress in the State to patch up the cracks in party”, Abe stated.
They also commended President Muhammadu Buhari for his clear, bold and courageous stand on the constitutional issue of elected party officials, as well as steering the party clear of prospective legal danger.
“We applaud the doggedness of members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State, who have remained committed to the ideals of the party in spite of internal bickering and external pressure and, who have continued to make sacrifices for the sustenance of the party in Rivers State.
“We enjoin members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State, to return all party executives at all levels in the state during the congresses irrespective of their factional leanings as a reward for their sacrifice and commitment to the APC in the face of threats, intimidation and even physical danger.
“Finally, we call on members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State to ignore those who have been deceived into leaving the party, as there will be no implosion in Rivers APC. All the leaders of the party are committed to ensuring the victory of the APC in Rivers State and in the whole country in the 2019 elections”, the stakeholders resolved.