By CHARLES IWUOHA

The Appeals Committee of the recently conducted ward Congress of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Enugu State, on Friday met with stakeholders of the party.

The sitting of the panel held at the Dome Event Centre instead of the APC Secretariat in the state.

Chairman of the panel, Mr. Bernard Mikko, told journalists that he took the sitting to a neutral venue as there were contentions among the members of the party.

News Express gathered that the APC in Enugu State now has two factions – one led by Dr. Ben Nwoye who has been the caretaker Committee chairman of the party, and another group led by his erstwhile Deputy Chairman, Chikwado Chukwunta.

Mikko said: “The Secretariat is contentious, which you know. We took a neutral ground and the committee paid. That’s why we are here. I can show you the receipt.

“We came here for reconciliation. In every political process there must be grievances and we are appealing to all party members to see it not as quarrel but as normal political process and that it should heal and come together as one. We need each other more than any other thing.”

On why many chieftains of the party were absent from the meeting, he said they were all communicated but that some of them, including Nwoye took permission.

“We met with Nwoye yesterday, had a fruitful discussion with him, he gave his apologies for not coming here today.”

Mikko stressed that the panel was not in the state to punish or pass judgement on anyone, assuring that “we want to bring everyone on board.”

In a remark, former Senate President, Chief Ken Nnamani, said APC in Enugu State was now positioned to win elections.

Nnamani, a member of the APC National Caretaker Committee, representing the South-East zone, said he feels ashamed that the party had never won any election in the state after eight years.

“I feel ashamed of being in a party that does not win elections. That is why we want to rejig the party to bring in leaders who will not use it for business.

“However, we are beginning to see a new horizon and determined to do something differently with the new leadership we now have,” he said.

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