There are strong indications that the crisis rocking the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Plateau State in the aftermath of the 2023 general elections might soon be over as aggrieved stakeholders met in Lafia, Nasarawa State, for reconciliation and to chat about a way forward.
Meanwhile, Governor Abdullahi Sule of Nasarawa State expressed displeasure with the loss of Plateau State to the PDP and promised to give every support to ensure the APC reclaims the Plateau in 2027.
Recall that the internal crisis wrangling the Plateau APC started after the general election as various interest groups emerged to undermine the party over political differences coupled with the vested interest in the state ministerial slot.
Worried by the development, the leader of the party, former Governor Simon Lalong, convened a meeting of the stakeholders outside the state on Thursday to address various issues, including grievances of some members that needed to be addressed.
In a statement by former Governor Lalong’s Media Adviser, Dr Makut Simon Machan, the former governor said the reconciliation engagement was important to reposition the party for greater success ahead.
He explained that the need to iron out the issues led to the setting up of the reconciliation committee headed by the former Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Idris Wase, which went around to hold engagements with various stakeholders of the party who felt aggrieved over one issue or another.
Lalong expressed joy that the Idris Wase-led reconciliation committee has done a great job by reaching critical stakeholders and aggregating their concerns, which led to the meeting.
Senator Lalong pointed out that as leader of the party, he was willing to take responsibility for any mistakes he made and equally ready to apologise to create the path to genuine reconciliation that will give the party the strength to recover from its losses during the last elections.
Addressing the stakeholders, Nasarawa State Governor, Abdullahi Sule, represented by his Deputy, Dr. Emmanuel Akabe, said they accepted to host the reconciliation meeting because of the brotherhood that exists between the two states and as part of the responsibility of the APC in Nasarawa State to contribute towards strengthening its Plateau counterpart.
He said the Governor and Nasarawa APC family were not happy with the loss of Plateau State to the PDP and will give every support to ensure the APC reclaims the state in 2027.
Akabe appealed to the stakeholders to sheath their swords, forgive, and work towards the unity of the party.
While welcoming the stakeholders, the Chairman of the Reconciliation Committee, Rt. Hon. Idris Wase, expressed appreciation for the support he received from all the party members who opened up and spoke about issues bothering them.
He said the committee created a free atmosphere for all party members and groups to freely and frankly talk about the issues bothering them.
Wase said the full report will be presented at the closed-door session to the stakeholders for further deliberation and consideration.
In separate goodwill messages, Governor Chief Joshua Chibi Dariye, former Deputy Governor, Prof. Sonni Tyoden, and former Minister Dame Pauline Tallen, among others, called for true reconciliation and urged the stakeholders to be open and true about things that are causing discord among party members.
Party Chairman, Hon. Rufus Bature, appealed to members of the party to close ranks and put aside their differences for a more cohesive party that would take over power in a short time.
. TheWitness
