APC chieftain Orji Uzor Kalu fears that the ruling party risks implosion if the party hierarchy fail to quickly address the many troubles besetting it.

Mr Kalu, the Chief Whip of the Senate, has thus written to the Caretaker/ Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to shelve the party’s national convention scheduled for February 2022 to resolve issues first.

The former Abia governor, in his letter to Governor Mai Mala Buni, APC’s interim national chairman, on Thursday, also appealed for the conduct of presidential primaries and election of National Working Committee (NWC) of the party same day.

He warned that holding the convention in February without sorting out disagreements that arose during the congress could scatter the party.

According to him, some states are embroiled in crisis with multiple factions arising from the congress.

“It is important to remind you that the ignoble creation of factions in our party in Rivers and Zamfara states cost the party the governorship elections in those states,’’ Mr Kalu said.

He also recalled that APC also failed to field candidates in some senatorial districts in Cross River, thereby helping the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to victory.

“Similarly, the creation of factions denied the party victory in so many states because the crisis were never settled. As a peaceful and tactful leader, I am sure you wouldn’t allow such scenario to reoccur.

“It is on this note that I write to appeal to your office and members of the Convention Extraordinary Planning Committee to reconsider the slated date for the 2022 National Convention.

“It is important that we collectively save the party from implosion due to the numerous court cases across the states. It is also important that you reconsider the date due to the confusions with regards to the zoning of offices,” the senate chief whip enjoined.

Mr Kalu said the conclusion drawn from all the cases was that after the state congresses, the burgeoning morale of party members was badly affected.

He stressed that it would be devastating to continue with the convention without settling the differences in various states and sort out the issues of zoning which could not be addressed in two months.

He said:“The logical corollary of the foregoing pronouncements of the courts is that having too many cases without settling them amicably, the APC may be embarking upon a collision course which may lead the party to implosion.”

Mr Kalu, who is said to be eyeing the presidency in 2023 also advised that “the issue of zoning should be properly handled with even representation across the six geopolitical zones.”