APC inaugurates committees to intervene in Kogi, Bauchi crisis

The All Progressives Congress (APC), has inaugurated two fact-finding and reconciliation committees to look into the crises rocking its chapters in Bauchi and Kogi States ahead of the 2019 general elections.

The Bauchi committee is headed by the Minister of Labour and Productivity, Sen. Chris Ngige, while Chief Tony Momoh heads that of Kogi.

The APC National Chairman, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, while inaugurating the committees on Wednesday in Abuja, said its members were carefully selected.

He described members of the committees as some of the best elites of the party, adding that its leadership was confident that they would deliver on their mandate.

He charged the committee members to carry on their personal prestige and integrity and undertake the assignment without fear or favour.

“You have a very simple assignment, which is fact-finding and reconciliation, without necessarily apportioning blames.

“I know that once the facts are established, it will be very simple to deal with’’, the chairman said.

Oyegun admitted that there were issues to contend with in most of its state chapters, and that the crisis in Kogi was challenging because it had a political history.

He added that the circumstances that led to the emergence of Gov. Yahaya Bello of Kogi and the manner of transition were complex issues that required competent men to address.

Responding, Momoh, chairman of the Kogi committee, attributed some of the problems in the party`s state chapters to lack of effective communication.

Momoh, former National Chairman of the dissolved Congress for Progressive Change, said party members should be encouraged to communicate, while its leadership made efforts to resolve identified issues.

Ngige, chairman of the Bauchi committee thanked the party`s leadership for finding them fit and worthy for the assignment.

He assured that the committee members would be neutral and respectful to all sides in the states as they ensure true reconciliation among aggrieved party members.

He added that they would always use the party`s constitution as guide to carry out their assignments while making efforts; ‘ to smoothen all rough edges.’’

He, however, attributed the problems in the two state chapters and some of its other chapters as bruises resulting from power struggle.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), reports that the committees have two weeks to complete the assignment.