The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Abdullahi Adamu, has warned that the party is not immune to losing election to the opposition should they fail to put their house in order ahead of the forthcoming presidential poll.
Adamu handed the warning in his keynote address during the emergency APC National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting held in Abuja on Wednesday.
He lamentably attributed the challenges confronting the party on the endless misunderstanding between the serving and incumbent State governors, warning that the situation posses grave danger to the future and fortune of the party.
Although he described the ruling party as unbreakable and solid, he however urged aggrieved members to take urgent step to ket into the reconciliation efforts of the party’s leadership.
“As you see it, this party has two path to take, the first path is the full and complete unity of the party, the second path is winning 2023 general elections. How we handle the first will determine how we achieve the second. We must take urgent and target steps now to unite our party at all levels; federal, states, local governments and wards.
“Our political party must emerge from incessant challenges in order to prepare for the coming tasks ahead. Secondly we must begin the process of banishing disagreement and build inclusivity of our past and present experiences.
“The lack of unity in our party is such that none of us can pretend not to be unaware as it were, the efforts to unite this party that led the previous Caretaker Committee to set up a reconciliation committee to find lasting peace. I know Mr President is not unmindful of what happened to PDP in 2014/2015, our party is not immune to similar fate should it conduct itself in such a way that continues to undermine the legacy of the founding fathers to build this party,” he appealed.
While accusing the serving and former State governors of distabilising the party with the incessant clash, he said: “I was the chairman of the reconciliation committee and came out of the assignment fully conversant of the problems. The battle rarely is a battle for supremacy between serving state governors and their predecessors in office. It is a crisis fuel by ego.
“So, ego is the enemy. Ego between former and serving governors has turned them into bitter enemies. Because of ego, the two groups are putting our party in jeopardy and the effect will be in the polls next year.
“The serving governors and past governors are powerful men, each of them are leaders in there own right in there states but when two elephants fight the grass suffers. Similarly, when two powerful politicians fight the party suffers. Because the speech and actions of these powerful men will bring a filthy and odious stench to our party.
“Our party must have the courage not to play lip-service about it but the serving governors of our party in there various states are the leaders of the party and this is in line with our party’s constitution. It is important that the former governors recognize that the party structure must be respected.
“Our party’s constitution makes no room for two party leaders in a state. Their is no reason to compete with serving governors for the leadership of the party,” he warned.
