By Davies Iheamnachor, PORT HARCOURT

The  All Progressives Congress, APC, in Rivers State has commenced moves to reconcile aggrieved members of the party to strengthen it to win the 2023 elections.

The party also declared that it would give equal playing field for all members, who have interest to contest any elective position, adding that the party would not accept adoption of sole candidate for the party.

Speaking in Port Harcourt, yesterday, while inaugurating Reconciliation, Finance and Media Committees in the move to reposition the party, state Chairman of APC, Emeka Beke, noted that many members of APC were aggrieved, saying the reconciliatory committee was vital at the point.

Beke declared that his topmost interest is to ensure peace in APC, stating the need for all members to accept peace and work as a family to win elections in the state.

He said: “As a political party, a lot of people are aggrieved. You need to reconcile them and that is our primary focus; to make sure that everybody works together as a family. “That is why we decided to set up this reconciliation committee to make sure that we bring back members of the party for us to work together. I can tell you as the chairman of the party, my assignment is to put the party together.

“There is a level playing field for everybody, who wants to participate in anything in this party. Right now we are building up the house, we need everybody for us to work as a family. There is nobody that is bigger than the other person.”Beke noted that the team would engage Sen Magnus Abe and his supporters, adding that he (Abe) would not be shutout of the party’s activities.

He said: “That is why we want to talk to everybody including Sen. Magnus Abe. We will talk to him. He is a member of this party. There is no way he would be left out.“As chairman of the party, I have said it that a level playing ground will be given to everybody as long as you will play by the rules of the party.

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“Every organisation has its rules and regulations. Whoever that is interested to run an election will have a levelled playing ground in the 2023 election.“Nobody is coming to adopt a sole candidate, so we will move for proper primary election and if you emerge as candidate we will all support you. That is the position of the party.”

However, Dawari George, in his acceptance speech as Chairman of the Recommendation Committee, said the team would adopt all peace approaches to ensure that the party members come back together and stronger.

George said: “I appreciate the leader of the party for this committee for the opportunity given us to carry out this all important assignment. We know that as a party we have a major challenge, and that is the divisions among us.

“Disagreements are not inherently bad themselves, but how to manage the disagreement and how we are able to process this disagreement and use them to strengthen the structure of the party is what makes the difference.

“Particularly, I am tempted this morning to say that political parties are means to an end. They are not an end itself. When a political party is not winning elections because of disagreement then that party has no basis to exist.

“Our aim will be defeated if we don’t move together in one direction. What we intend to do at the level of reconciliation committee is to make sure we mobilise the party to have one common vision, deal with the elements of injustice, greed, ego and pride among our members.

“Also begin to reactivate that spirit of forgiveness, give and take. There are various interests and all of us have various interests and there is nothing wrong in you having interest.“But the mechanism to resolve and to harmonize those interests is what is lacking and that is what we will focus on.”

Vanguard News Nigeria