The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Adams Oshiomhole, has reconciled the warring leaders and members of the party in Delta State.
It was gathered that at a reconciliatory meeting held last Tuesday night, Oshiomhole stressed the need for full reconciliation, so as to achieve victory in the forthcoming 2019 general election.
A statement issued by Oshiomhole’s Chief Press Secretary, Simon Ebegbulem, said as part of the arrangement to ensure lasting peace and reconciliation in the party in the state, Jones Ode Erue, would be retained as the state chairman of the party.
The statement said the other positions in the state Exco would be harmonised to accommodate the interest of all the parties.
Oshiomhole who further urged the party leaders to embrace the Erue-led leadership in moving the party forward, however, condemned what he described as unwarranted attacks on his person and the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party by some party members in the state, admonishing that they should rather make comments that would reconcile the party and not one that would further inflame the crisis.
The meeting was attended by the leaders of APC in the state, including the Minister of State Petroleum Resources, Dr. Ibe Kachukwu; Chief Great Ogboru, Senator Ovie Omo- Agege, Olorogun O’tega Emerhor, Cairo Ojougbou, Victor Ochei, Olorogun Cyril Abeye Ogodo, Dr. Miriam Nneamaka Ogoh Ali, Frank Kokori and many others.
Oshiomhole who expressed his resolve to ensure that the party wins the state, admonished the leaders not to allow their ambitions to over-ride the general interest of the party, stressing that the issue of the governorship candidate of the party must not be allowed to destroy the party in the state.
According to him, “I have said it before that I have interest in Delta State because Edo and Delta States are one. And we must ensure that Delta join Edo State in APC through democratic means. And I know that we all can do it if we can reconcile our differences and confront the real enemy, which is the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). And whatever we are doing, I believe we should think about the interest of Delta people who have been denied of good governance by the PDP administration over the years.
“Only one person can be governor at a time and before you know it, eight years is over and another person takes over. So we must not see it as a do or die affair. We must all work together, make concessions and go back to work immediately because we have no time. We are going to confront an incumbent who is desperate to return but we will mobilise Delta people to stop Ifeanyi Okowa,” he stated.
Erue who appealed for calm, promised to work with all the stakeholders, and appealed for cooperation to enable him succeed.
Kachukwu, in his vote of thanks, urged the party leaders to abide by the decision of the national leadership of the party and ensure that peace returns to Delta State.
“I want to urge our party leaders to embrace peace so we can achieve victory for the party in 2019,” he said.
