The All Progressives Congress has rejected a call by the Edo State Governor, Mr Godwin Obaseki, for the dissolution of its National Reconciliation Committee headed by the President of the Senate, Dr Ahmed Lawan.
Chieftains of the party, who confided in the newsmen on Monday, said it had become obvious that the governor was not concerned about peace in the Edo State APC.
Obaseki, in an interview with a correspondent in Benin on Monday, called for the dissolution of the committee, which among others, was saddled with the responsibility of resolving the dispute between the governor and the National Chairman, Mr Adams Oshiomhole.
The APC had on November 18 set up a 10-member committee headed by Lawan to resolve crises among its members.
The National Publicity Secretary of the APC, Lanre Issa-Onilu, had in a statement, said the party set up the committee in line with the November resolution of its National Executive Committee.
Besides Lawan, other members of the committee are a former Interim National Chairman of the party, Chief Bisi Akande (Vice Chairman); Deputy Speaker, House of Representatives, Ahmed Wase, Senator Tanko Al-Makura, Senator Kashim Shettima, Minister of State for Environment, Sharon Ikeazor; Alhaji Nasiru Koki, Senator Khairat Gwadabe-Abdulrazak, Senator Binta Garba and Senator John Enoh (Secretary).
The APC in Edo State had become factionalised some months ago with one faction loyal to Oshiomhole and the other backed by the governor.
The crisis worsened on November 12 when factions of the party suspended Oshiomhole and Obaseki.
While the national chairman was suspended during a meeting at the state party secretariat in Benin, the action against Obaseki was carried out at the residence of a chieftain of the APC, General Charles Airhiavbere (retd.), by the Edo Peoples Movement, a pressure group within the party.
The APC had, late November, set up a committee headed by the Kano State Governor, Abdullahi Ganduje, to resolve the crisis, but Obaseki rejected the panel on the grounds that it was set up by the Oshiomhole-led National Working Committee.
Again, Obaseki on Monday called for the dissolution of the Lawan-led national reconciliation committee of the APC, adding that a fresh one should be reconstituted by the party.
The governor had last week rejected the committee because of the decision of the National Assembly leadership to take over the Edo House of Assembly was part of the issue the panel would resolve.
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