The party said the panel would investigate the root causes of the dispute, engage stakeholders and restore unity, while urging aggrieved members to embrace internal dispute resolution mechanisms instead of litigation.
The National Working Committee (NWC) of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has inaugurated a five-member committee to investigate the lingering leadership crisis in its Anambra State chapter and facilitate reconciliation among aggrieved members.
The decision was announced on Monday by the party’s Deputy National Chairman (South), Benjamin Nwoye, at a news briefing held after an emergency meeting of the NWC at the APC National Secretariat in Abuja.
Mr Nwoye said the committee had been tasked with identifying the underlying causes of the dispute, engaging all affected stakeholders and recommending measures to restore unity within the state chapter ahead of future electoral activities.
He said the intervention was aimed at ensuring the party resolves its internal disagreements promptly, enabling members and candidates to participate in elections without disruption.
“Our assignment is to identify the causes of the crisis, speak with all stakeholders, reconcile the aggrieved parties, and ensure that our party remains united ahead of the forthcoming election,” he said.
According to him, the committee comprises himself as chairman; APC National Woman Leader, Mary Alile; the National Legal Adviser, Abdulkarim Kana; the National Leader of Persons with Disabilities, and the deputy national secretary, who will serve as secretary.
Speaking on the legal tussles arising from the crisis, Mr Nwoye said the APC, through the Office of the National Legal Adviser, had filed the necessary court processes after becoming aware of an order issued in connection with the dispute.
He added that the court which issued the order had subsequently suspended its enforcement.
“To the glory of God, we have received information today that enforcement of that order has been stayed by the same court that issued it,” he announced.
The APC chieftain appealed to members involved in the dispute to refrain from actions that could worsen the situation and instead utilise the party’s internal dispute resolution mechanisms.
He reminded party members that the APC constitution requires aggrieved members to exhaust all internal remedies before approaching the courts, warning that failure to do so could attract sanctions, including automatic loss of membership.
As part of its assignment, the reconciliation committee will hold consultative meetings in both Abuja and Awka to engage stakeholders and party faithful in efforts to broker lasting peace.
“I want to plead with all parties, especially stakeholders, to hold their peace. We are coming to engage everyone. We shall meet stakeholders both in Abuja and in Awka to understand the immediate and remote causes of the crisis and recommend lasting solutions,” he said.
Mr Nwoye also disclosed that the party had begun communicating with security agencies in Anambra State to ensure the protection of APC assets, including its state secretariat, and to maintain peace throughout the reconciliation process.
The intervention comes against the backdrop of a deepening leadership and legal crisis that has divided the APC in Anambra in recent months.
The dispute, which intensified after the party’s primaries for the 2027 elections, centres on allegations from some aspirants and party members that the nomination process was manipulated and failed to comply with the party’s guidelines.
The aggrieved members subsequently challenged the outcome in court, while the Emma Anosike-led state executive maintained that the primaries were conducted in line with the APC constitution and that all candidates emerged through due process.
The crisis further escalated after the state chapter sanctioned several members for initiating legal action without first exhausting the party’s internal dispute-resolution mechanisms. In June, the party ratified the expulsion of seven prominent members, including State Legal Adviser Richard Egenti, insisting that the disciplinary action was in accordance with the APC constitution.
The disagreements also extended to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), with conflicting claims over the authenticity of candidate lists and party officials recognised by the electoral body.
Although the Anambra chapter had earlier constituted its own reconciliation committee to broker peace, the effort failed to end the crisis, prompting the APC National Working Committee to intervene by setting up a national fact-finding and reconciliation panel to investigate the dispute.
