Ahead of the 2019 elections, the All Progressives Party (APC) in Abia State has mapped out strategies of wrestling power from the ruling PDP by engaging its aggrieved members in reconciliation meetings.

Their first port of call was the residence of the strongman of Abia politics and member, Board of Trustees of APC, Prince Benjamin Apugo in Umuahia who had earlier expressed his disapproval of  the handling of the affairs of the party by  the State  Working  Committee( SWC)  led by  Hon Donatus Nwankpa .

The powerful delegation led by Senator Chris Adighije appealed to Chief Apugo to throw his weight behind the   APC caucus in the state to have a united and formidable party.

Senator Adighije said their concern was the unity of the party ahead of 2019 and appealed to all warring parties to bury their differences to pave the way for the party’s ascendancy in the state in 2019.

The delegation included former minister of Labour and Productivity, Chief Emeka Wogu, Senator Bob Nwanunu, Senator Nkechi Nworgu, Capt. Awah, Chief Tony Ukasoanya, Chief Mrs Enuice Uzor Kalu, Barr. Kelvin Ugboaja, Chief Uche Akwukwaegbu and Major General Ogbonna Okoro.

He described the visit as a landmark in the life of APC in Abia, stressing that APC in the state now boasts of having prominent personalities, former ministers and senators and appealed to the party chieftain, Apugo, to take them as one family so that the party will win in the 2019 governorship election in the state.

According to him, with the cream of Abia politicians now in the APC, what the party requires to take over power in the state in the 20 19 elections is a united family which was the reason the Party caucus embarked on the reconciliation move.

Responding, Prince Apugo expressed his readiness to work with the Hon Donatus Nwankpa-led state working committee (SWC) not withstanding his earlier displeasure over the manner the party was being run by the present SWC.

He said that there was an urgent need to bail out Abia State from underdevelopment caused by former Governor Orji Uzor Kalu who installed Chief Theodore Orji as governor of the state.

He alleged that T.A Orji   for eight years had nothing to show for it, which he said has affected the performance of the present   governor, Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu.

Apugo therefore, charged the Abia SWC to re-position the party to enable APC form the next government in the state.

In his remarks, the state chairman of the party, Hon Donatus Nwamkpa assured APC members that the state working committee would sustain the peace in the party and expressed hope that APC would form the next government in the state.

Contributing, a member of APC Board of Trustees, Chief Sam Nkire said the reconciliation visit has brought the party members together and vowed that APC will take over Abia in 2019, just as the former member of the Federal House of Representatives, Chief Acho Obioma urged the APC state executives to work harder to ensure the party remained one united family.