By Joseph Edegbo
Gombe State Governor, Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya has inaugurated a 21-man Reconciliation Committee to resolve all grievances that arose from the just concluded congresses and primaries of the All Progressives Congress, APC in the State.
The committee, which is headed by the State Deputy Governor, Dr. Manassah Daniel Jatau, is specifically charged with the responsibility of harmonizing and uniting members of the party ahead of the 2023 general election.
Speaking during the ceremony, Governor Yahaya explained that the setting up of the committee becomes necessary in view of the seeming differences that ensued during the just concluded party primaries in the State.
The Governor remarked that “in a contest such as the just concluded APC primaries, it is practically impossible for all the yearnings and aspirations of every contestants to be met without some form of misgivings, reservations or grievances arising from the process”.
“It is certain that human beings are prone to making mistakes and when such happen, it makes more sense for the parties involved to dissect the issues at stake, forgive one another and move forward in unity of purpose”.
He observed that political contests are often followed by grievances which make it imperative for any progressive leadership to come up with a system that will holistically address the concerns of all members for the purpose of maintaining a balance in the system.
Governor Yahaya noted that the constitution of the Reconciliation Committee is not peculiar to Gombe State alone as other states across the country and at the national level have equally established same to bring back all aggrieved members of the party to the negotiation table.
“The President had even sat with some aggrieved members of the National Assembly in an attempt to arrive at a middle ground in the interest of the party”.
The Governor reminded participants at the ceremony that considering the myriad of challenges confronting the country, it is worthless for anyone seeking position of authority not to to brace up for the task of nation building through the deliberate promotion of peace and socio-economic economic development.
Governor Yahaya emphasized the need for members of the APC in the state to unite and forge a common front, saying it is only with unity of purpose that the party can achieve meaningfully for the continuous delivery of the dividends of democracy to the people of the State.
The Governor maintained that the APC in Gombe State is rock solid considering its numerical strength as well as the infrastructural development it was able provide for the people of the State in the last three years.
He expressed confidence in the ability of the committee to do a thorough job towards reconciling all aggrieved members of the party in the State.
In his response, the Chairman of the committee, Dr Manassah Daniel Jatau commended the Governor for deeming it necessary to constitute the committee which he described as a step towards re-uniting and repositioning the party ahead of the 2023 general election.
“There is no gain saying the fact that in every contest a winner must emerge; and in the process of the contest sometimes feelings of dissatisfaction by some members come about. However being members of the same APC political family, the compelling need to come together, discuss and comprehend the situation of the entire family must be done and that is why this committee has become necessary”.
Earlier, the Gombe State APC Chairman, Hon. Nitte Amangal reeled out the committee’s terms of reference to include: identify aggrieved members of the APC following the outcome of the last Primary elections and to discuss with such members towards reconciliation.
Other terms of reference of the committee as explained by the APC chairman are: to suggest possible realignment of such aggrieved members and compensation where necessary and suggest the avoidance of such occurrence in the future.
The Gombe State APC Reconciliation Committee has two weeks within which to submit its report to the leadership of the party in the State.
