A former governorship candidate in Imo State and All Progressives Congress (APC) stalwart, Chief Uche Nwosu, Saturday advised the Mai Mala Buni-led APC caretaker committee to resolve the internal crisis within the party before attempting to bring in new members.
In a statement in Abuja, the politician argued that it would be easier to bring back those that left the party after peace had returned, advising that it would be out of place to put the cart before the horse.
There have been insinuations that the caretaker committee may have been reaching out to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, former Senate President Bukola Saraki, and a host of other politicians who left the party before the 2019 election.
However, the Imo APC chieftain insisted that if the different factions in the party and the founding stakeholders were reconciled, collectively the party would then move to the next phase of bringing back all those that left the APC for various reasons.
He said: “They should resolve the party crisis in Zamfara, Adamawa, Rivers and Imo States first, but what they are interested in is to bring new people, meanwhile those in the party are angry and bitter. They should look inward first before rushing outside.
“You have not met with people like Abubakar Yari, Rotimi Amaechi and Magnus Abe in Rivers State, former Adamawa state governor Bindow Umaru and former Secretary to Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal and Rochas Okorocha to reconcile the different factions.
“How can you bring in anyone when they know your house is not in order. You must put your house in order first before you venture out.
“How can you go to Adamawa for instance and ask Atiku to join APC when the party is still in crisis in that state, or is it in Zamfara or Imo state that you can succeed in getting any big fish to join the party without putting your house in order first,” he queried.
He reiterated his earlier stance that to make the APC stronger, the four blocs that formed the party, including the Action Congress of Nigeria(ACN) led by Bola Tinubu, the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) led by President Muhammadu Buhari, the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) faction led by Rochas Okorocha and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) faction led by Amaechi should be consulted.
On the fate of the party in the Southeast, he noted that the committee’s duty will be made easier if it takes time to study the history of the party in the zone and how and when crisis crept in.
“To get it right in the Southeast, the caretaker committee should be properly equipped with how the party started and evolved in the zone. It should identify the founding leaders of the party in the zone and bring them together.
“This will more than any other thing open a new chapter of peace and harmony in the party”, Nwosu maintained.
He further advised the committee not to allow its activities in the Southeast to be hijacked or dictated by Abuja-based politicians “who do not have any stake in the party at the grassroots”.
“The committee should get in touch with the party leaders in the zone who are truly in touch with the people on how to resolve all issues and bring peace to the party than working with Abuja-based politicians who may be warming up to hijack the process” he warned.
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