Odimmegwa Johnpeter/Abuja
The All Progressives Congress has called on warring factions in its Anambra State chapter to sheathe their swords and embrace peace, as the National Working Committee moves to resolve the lingering leadership crisis in the state.
Addressing journalists in Abuja on Monday, Dr. Benjamin Obi Nwoye, Deputy National Chairman (South) and Chairman of the newly constituted APC Fact-Finding and Reconciliation Committee for Anambra, said the NWC took the decision on Friday during an emergency meeting.
According to him, the 5-man committee was set up “in response to the crisis and an attempt to resolve the pending disputes going on in Anambra State.”
Other members of the committee are Dr. Mary A. Idele, National Women Leader; Murtala Aliyu Kankia, National Legal Adviser; Aare Durotolu Oyebode Bankole, National Leader, Persons with Disabilities; and Prof. AbdulKarim Abubakar Kana, Deputy National Secretary, who will serve as Secretary of the panel.
Dr. Nwoye said the core mandate of the committee is to ascertain the cause of the crisis, engage stakeholders, and reconcile all aggrieved parties to ensure the party remains united ahead of elections.
“The point of the committee really is to find what the cause of the crisis, talk to stakeholders, and see ways of reconciling the warring parties and ensuring that our party is united,” he stated.
He disclosed that letters have been prepared for stakeholders and security agencies in Anambra to ensure that “peace is preserved and that our property in Anambra State, including our secretariat, they are not tampered with by anyone, by any of the warring factions.”
The APC chieftain also announced a major legal breakthrough, saying the party has secured a stay of enforcement of the court order that sought to remove the elected state chairman, Senator Emma Anosike.
“Our legal people, through the office of National Legal Adviser, have filed the proper processes… And to the glory of God, today we got a report that enforcement had been stayed by the courts that issued that order,” he said.
Dr. Nwoye issued a strong warning to members against taking internal party disputes to court without exhausting all internal mechanisms.
“You don’t go to court until you exhaust all the remedies available within… It’s strictly prohibited. And it may be strictly under our constitution because for self-expulsion, you go to court, you consider yourself a non-member,” he warned.
He, however, clarified that the committee’s immediate assignment is not to sanction but to reconcile.
“If you have filed a case in court and you’re a member of APC, pull your case out. We are there to listen to you. It’s very likely that we can engage in alternative dispute resolution method and be able to mediate and reconcile the impasses that we may be having,” he added.
Responding to questions, Dr. Nwoye clarified that the intervention is not about candidates whose names have been uploaded to the INEC portal.
“No, the crisis I’m referring to is leadership crisis. There’s absolutely nothing. We are not dealing with names uploaded… The issue of candidate has been resolved to finality. The party has taken a decision on that,” he said.
He explained that the committee is focused on the dispute arising from “those who went to court and procured an order, removing the elected Senator, Emma Anosike, as the chairman of APC Anambra State, and then recognizing another person with other individuals as the leaders of the party.”
The Deputy National Chairman said the committee will begin consultations with stakeholders in Abuja before proceeding to Awka, Anambra State “precisely, and see stakeholders and members of our party” to get to the root of the matter.
“The National Working Committee is stepping in and saying that we want to hear from them all,” he concluded.
The APC NWC, inaugurated after the party’s March 2026 National Convention, said the reconciliation drive is part of efforts to strengthen the party and ensure it speaks with one voice in Anambra ahead of the 2027 general elections.
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