BY UGOCHUKWU ALARIBE

ABA- Former Abia State Governor, Dr. Orji Uzor Kalu, has urged members of the APC in the state to work together to ensure the party wins the governorship position in the 2019 general election.

Kalu who stated this at an APC stakeholders meeting in Umuahia decried the infighting and disunity among members of the APC in Abia and called for change, stressing that the party must put its house together to defeat the ruling PDP in the state.

APC

He alleged that some members of the party in the state have been hobnobbing with the Governor Okezie Ikpeazu administration to undermine the APC’s resolve to win the governorship position in 2019.

“We need to save the APC in Abia and give it a direction. We want to have one strong APC in Abia. We want to see one APC that belongs to all of us. If anyone goes against the party, he must be punished. Let there be peace in Abia APC. I don’t want us to be going to Abuja and reporting ourselves. Because of the time we are entering we won’t allow this party to disintegrate in Abia.  We made a promise to our leaders that we will win all the positions in Abia in 2019. But we can’t return APCwhen we are quarrelling. We can’t win when we say this man is for Nyerere Anyim , this one is for Ikechi Emenike. You can’t take over when you are quarreling. The APC doesn’t belong to anyone; we must join hands to strengthen the party. The APC will win Abia in 2019.

“But we must do the right thing. If you want to be in APC, don’t be in APC and put your leg in PDP. Some APC members are hobnobbing with the governor. Some of these people are planning to field a weak governorship candidate for Okezie Ikpeazu to win again, but it won’t happen. Anybody who is a member of APC should be steady or leave the party.”

The former governor inaugurated a 3 man panel headed by Chief Acho Obioma to reach out to the Chief Ikechi Emenike faction to ensure that peace reigns in the party.

A cross section party leaders who spoke at the occasion including Senator Chris Adighije, Dr. Nyerere Anyim , Senator Nkechi Nwaogu as well as the state chairman of the party, Chief Donatus Nwankpa, said the party is committed to sack the ruling PDP in the state in 2019 and urged members to be steadfast.

On the forthcoming congresses to elect new executives for the party, the leaders vowed that there will be no imposition of candidates.