A former senatorial aspirant under the All progressives Congress, APC, in Abia state, Dr Philips Nto has attributed the continued unity in the party to the laudable leadership style of the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt Hon Benjamin Kalu.
He noted that the reconciliation efforts by Ben Kalu as the leader of APC in Abia state have helped to douse tensions, especially among those who were unjustly schemed out during the primaries.
Dr Philips Nto who was reacting to a meeting being convened by the Deputy Speaker for both candidates and aspirants from Abia APC, declared that if not for Ben Kalu, most of the aspirants who were not successful would have taken another course of action.
Using his own senatorial primaries where he contested against Senator Orji Uzor Kalu in Abia North, as a case study, Dr Philips Nto alleged that he was rigged out by his opponent whom he accused of returning bloated figures more than the entire registered members of APC in the senatorial district.
” I clearly won the primaries for Abia North Senate Seat, but my opponent came out with crazy results which figures were more than the entire registered members of APC in the senatorial district. But I didn’t appeal the result because of the counsel of our leader, Ben Kalu, “
He also disclosed that he accepted the results in deference to the supremacy of the party and to give peace a chance.
Said he ” I have accepted the result as a mark of respect to His Excellency, the Deputy Speaker and to ensure party cohesion at all levels of the forthcoming elections “
He commended the initiative of Rt Hon Benjamin Kalu to unite the party by bringing both aspirants and candidates under one roof to iron out their differences.
Dr Philips Nto who is a former Commissioner for Finance and Economic Planning in Abia State, pledged his loyalty to the party through Ben Kalu, saying that he would continue to work for the triumph of APC and President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in the 2027 elections.
