Feuding factional All Progressives Congress (APC) leaders, elders and stakeholders in Akwa Ibom State have agreed to mend fences and harmonize all contending forces in order to have a common front ahead of the crucial 2023 general elections.
This followed the emergence of three Chairmen leading three State Executive Councils (SECs) of the national ruling party after the weekend state congress of the party, forcing the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Chief Godswill Akpabio; the Senior Special Adviser (SSA) to President Muhammadu Buhari, on Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Iita Enang and the former Military governor of Rivers and Ogun States, Group Capt. Sam Ewang (rtd), to wade-in.
The three factions controlled by Akpabio, Enang and the National Care-taker Secretary, Senator John Udoedehe, currently have their Chairmen and Executive members at the end of the polls held at different centres in Uyo, the state capital, on Saturday.
Comrade Stephen Ntukekpo, from Mkpat Enin Local Government Area emerged as the Chairman of the Minister’s faction held at the Kara Event Centre; Mr. Austin Ekanem was elected for Senator Udoedehe’s faction held at Sheer grace event centre while Mr. Douglas Pepple, emerged for Enang’s faction, which also took place later at the Kara event centre.
However, Akpabio and Enang, who addressed delegates and party supporters at the differebt centres stressed the need for unity of the party ahead of the 2023 polls, assuring that all disagreements would settled in one accord under one round-table and called on members to maintain the existing peace in the party.
“Accord is the only vehicle that is in the Bible,” Akpabio said, adding that “when the matter will be settled on a round table you will not be there.”
In the same vein, Enang was quick to assure members that every interest would be accommodated and other contending issues settled to put the party in good stead to win the national and state elections in 2023.
“I have seen other congresses going on, we are all working for the APC; people must agree to disagree, but the most important thing is that we are all working for the party,” he stressed.
Ewang, leader of the Elders’ Forum of the party in the state and member, national Board of Trustees (BoT), stressed the need for ll hands to be on the deck to salvage the party from its internal wrangling ahead of the big contest in 2023.
Across all the centres, the polls were hitch-free as armed security personnel stood guard throughout the period the contest lasted.
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