Anti-party remarks: Abia APC lifts ultimatum on Kalu, Nkwonta

The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Abia State has withdrawn an ultimatum that demanded apologies from Senator Orji Kalu and Chris Nkwonta, a member of the National Assembly. The ultimatum, issued for alleged anti-party remarks, specifically targeted statements made in support of Governor Alex Otti, who belongs to the Labour Party.

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What the stakeholders today are waiting for me to address is the issue of our leader, Senator Orji Uzor Kalu, and the Right Hon. Chris Nkwonta, who the party, in their wisdom, met at the State Working Committee level and gave an ultimatum for them to withdraw statements they made, which the State Working Committee and a few party co-leaders met and felt that those utterances constitute what we refer to as anti-party activity.

The decision to lift the ultimatum was made during a stakeholders' meeting at the APC secretariat in Umuahia. Party leaders and stakeholders agreed to set aside the grievances as the APC focuses its efforts on preparing for the 2027 general elections. The initial 14-day ultimatum had been imposed by the State Working Committee (SWC) on August 10, 2026, deeming the remarks "unstatesmanlike, irresponsible, embarrassing and inimical" to the party's unity and electoral prospects.

Allegations against Kalu included a television interview where he reportedly predicted Governor Otti's victory in the 2027 governorship election. Nkwonta faced criticism for allegedly stating his intention to vote for Otti in the same election, a comment reportedly made in the presence of Nigeria's First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu.

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We have listened to them privately, not publicly, because they are leaders, and they have reached out to us, and we have found out that they have reason for going the way they went, not that they want to bring the party down, but they felt that things were not properly done in a manner that was satisfactory to them.

Speaking on Sunday, State Chairman Chijioke Chukwu explained that the party leadership had engaged with Kalu and Nkwonta privately. He stated that the leaders had reached out to the party, and their reasons for the statements were understood. Chukwu emphasized that the leaders did not intend to undermine the party but felt certain actions were not satisfactory. The SWC reviewed the situation and decided to revise its earlier decision, allowing stakeholders to move a motion to adopt this revision.

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For those situations, because those decisions were taken using the proper apparatus of the party, that is the State Working Committee, the State Working Committee has only two options – either to sit down and review the situation and be able to issue statements that will reflect our current position, or ask the stakeholders and party members to move a motion, adopt that motion, and revise that decision.