A political group in Gombe State, Alliance for Gombe Progress (AGP) has tasked the national leadership of All Progressives Congress (APC) over the urgent need to resolve the lingering intra-party squabbles facing the state chapter, urging it to wake up to its responsibilities.
The group also gave advice to the APC’s echelon to be extra careful in the manner it handles the replacement of Gombe ministerial slot left open by Mrs Amina Mohammed, erstwhile minister of Environment.
Recall that Mohammed officially vacated her office in President Mohammadu Buhari’s cabinet last week to take her new office in New York, as the United Nations’ Deputy Secretary-General.
The AGP stated this in Gombe at the weekend and noted that it was alarmed by the spate of crises rocking the ruling APC at its various state levels including Gombe State, a situation which it noted had accordingly prevented the chapter from electing substantive state executives members to effectively run its local affairs.
Danladi Idris, the group’s state coordinator who spoke on its behalf also expressed concerns that the John Oyegun Odigie Oyegun-led NWC of APC appears to be unconcerned by treating Gombe’s political imbroglio with kid’s gloves despite repeated attempts to help the party resolve whatever bones of contention among warring factions.
He noted how the group views the current scenario and the roles being played by the NWC in alleged collusion with some political gladiators in Gombe as capable of finally annihilating APC in Gombe.
“As a group which wants socio-political advancement of Gombe and one of the political interests within the state APC chapter, after several failed attempts to help APC solve its solve its problems in Gombe; we hereby call on the National leadership of APC to urgently rise to the occasion and save our dear party’
“Our concern is further fuelled by the way and manner the NWC led by the National Chairman is handling Gombe APC crisis ditto other state chapters in the country. There have been insinuations of conspiracy at the highest level of the party, a situation which we may have no option than to believe. Henceforth, the NWC must wake up to its responsibilities and allay our fears in this direction’’
On the ministerial slot, Idris revealed that the group is working with other political interests across the state to mark words with actions, and ensure accountability and respect for dignity of ordinary party members who laboured for the party during 2015 elections.
He also called on President Mohammadu Buhari to demonstrate the ‘Change’ slogan of the APC by deviating from the norm and salvage the state from claws of ‘political hawks’ that have held the Gombe chapter of the party by its jugular.
He urged the NWC and the presidency to work together by using the vacant ministerial slot in Gombe to build a lasting peace process for the state chapter.
‘’Now that the office of a minister is open again, the NWC must play active roles and advise the presidency on how to use the slot to resolve old scores so that we can move ahead under a lasting peaceful atmosphere”
“All warring parties and concerns in the crises must be adequately compensated in the collective interests of peace and true conflict reconciliation’’
