There will be no sole governorship candidate to be adopted by the All Progressives Congress APC in Rivers State.
The state chairman of the party Emeke Beke who declared this in Port Harcourt on Monday said the party would conduct an acceptable free and fair primary for the 2023 governorshipelection.
This was as the party commenced moves to reconcile the aggrieved members to strengthen the APC to win elections in 2023.
Beke said the party would provide a level playing field for all members interested in contesting in any elective position, adding that it would not accept the adoption of a sole candidate for the party.
Beke, who spoke at the inauguration of the Reconciliation, Finance and Media Committees set up to reposition the party, regretted that many members of APC were aggrieved, adding that the reconciliatory move was apt.
The party chairman stressed that his interest was to ensure peace in the APC, noting the need for all members to accept peace and work as a family to win elections in the state.
Beke said, “As a political party, a lot of people are aggrieved. We need to reconcile them and that is our primary focus; to make sure that everybody works together as a family.
“That is why we decided to set up this committee called the reconciliation committee to make sure that we bring back members of the party for us to work together. I can tell you as the chairman of the party, my assignment is to put the party together.
“There is a level playing field for everybody, for anybody who wants to participate in anything in this party. Right now, we are building up the house, and we need everybody to work as a family. There is nobody bigger than the other person.”
According to Beke, the team would engage Sen Magnus Abe and his supporters, promising that he (Abe) would not be shut out of the party’s activities.
He said, “That is why we want to talk to everybody, including Sen. Magnus Abe. We will talk to him. He is a member of this party. There is no way he would be left out.
“As chairman of the party, I have said that a level playing ground will be given to everybody as long as you will play by the rules of the party.
“Nobody is coming to adopt a sole candidate, so we will move for a proper primary election and if you emerge as a candidate, we will all support you. That is the position of the party.”
Dawari George, in his acceptance speech as the Chairman of the Recommendation Committee, promised that the team would adopt all peace approaches to ensure that the party comes back together and stronger.
