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| Chief Chekwas Okorie |
These are certainly not the best of times for the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) because of uncertainties that could seal the party’s fate if it fails to win next year’s governorship election in Anambra State.
Many members have thrown rules and regulations to the wind thereby turning the party into a platform where only the fittest could survive with some arguing that APGA may not exit after the next election.
They insist that the party, which ordinarily should chart the Igbo path in the country’s political firmament, has lost focus and appears to be consumed in the muddy waters of dirty politics.
Since the recent crisis during which a group of members of the National Working Committee (NWC), at a meeting suspended the embattled national chairman, Victor Oye for alleged anti-party activities and replaced him with Ozo Nwabueze Okafor in acting capacity, it has been one suspension after another. Okafor was the National Vice Chairman of the party in the Southeast zone. The matter is in court.
Last week, a group of leaders from the southeast met in Awka, Anambra State capital, allegedly reversed Oye’s suspension accusing Okafor of anti-party offences and appointed Chief Smart Ihuoma in his stead. The alleged suspension took place less than a week after Ihuoma led a delegation of the Southeast executive of the party to pledge support and loyalty in the Okafor–led leadership.
Speaking with reporters during the visit where they handed a wrapper and staff of authority to Okafor, Ihuoma had stated, “We need to strengthen the party to enable it deliver in elections and not what the former leadership of Oye can offer. Oye does not understand the workings of APGA as a national party. That is why the leadership of the Southeast has come to show solidarity to Okafor to encourage him in the drive to take APGA to the next level.”
Okafor however dismissed the alleged suspension with a wave of the hand. He said he remained the acting National Chairman of the party, stressing that he doubted if those that met in Awka were genuine members of the leadership of the party in the region.
According to him, “It is my responsibility as the National Vice Chairman of the party in the southeast to summon a zonal meeting. Again, our zonal office is in Enugu, not Awka. I think it is a ploy by those we have dragged to court to shift attention from the court matter. I want to advise the party members to overlook whatever anybody is saying in that regard”
While the controversy over who is the authentic national leadership raged, the Anambra State chapter erupted last Friday in yet in another crisis that has thrown up two persons as claimants to the State Chairmanship position of the party.
In an early morning meeting at the party’s secretariat, a faction of the State Working Committee (SWC) removed its Chairman, Chief Norbert Obi and announced the appointment of his Deputy, Chief Tony Elee to run the affairs of the party.
The removal was contained in a 5-page statement signed by 17 members of the 24-member SWC and read out by the State Legal Adviser, Sylvester Ezeokenwa. They accused Chief Obi of ineptitude and gross incompetence, saying he has manifested signs that were dangerous for the party in the fast-approaching 2017 governorship election.
While announcing Obi’s indefinite suspension as chairman, the party lamented that, “the untiring and relentless efforts of our dear governor in turning around the fortunes of the state has not recorded a complimentary contribution from our great party, owing largely to the dearth of credible leadership and dictatorial inclination of Chief Norbert Obi.
“Our party has ostensibly lost focus and drive and this has consequently put the chances of our great party achieving a second term success for our dear working governor in serious jeopardy.”
Other offences were failure to convene statutory meetings of the SWC and SEC contrary to Article 12 of the Party’s Constitution; Open denigration of members of the SEC and running the party without approved budget contrary to Article 12 (6) (C) of the Constitution.
They also accused him of unilaterally constituting the Disciplinary Committee and Reconciliation Committee without seeking the approval or ratification of the SEC contrary to Articles 17 (e) and 22 (3) (a) of the constitution; failure to constitute other statutory standing and ad hoc Committees of the party contrary to Articles 16 and 22 (7) (f) of the constitution; failure to render appropriate accounts of the funds accruable to the parJust as the dust was settling down, Obi, buoyed by the presence of some council chairmen from the party and few other SWC members led by the three vice chairmen, rode back into the state secretariat to counter the earlier declaration.
Reading from a resolution of his own group, Obi said he remains in charge. That he has not in any way contravened any aspect of the party’s constitution but had been leading with fear of God and love of the party and her teeming members.
Obi however urged everyone to discountenance the earlier announcement by those he referred to as “few members of the party who were apparently driven by misinformation and lack of deep knowledge of the constitution of the party.”
If the developments are disturbing, what should worry the APGA the more is perhaps the desire of the United Progressives Party (UPP), led by its founding Chairman, Chief Chekwas Okorie, to reap from the crises and launch itself into prominence as a “true Igbo and national political party.”
On Thursday, a faction of APGA led by its one time acting National Chairman and former Deputy National Chairman, Chief Chris Ejike Uche including National Vice Chairmen from the South-South, Southwest and Northern zones of the country declared for UPP.
Although, the event which attracted several other chieftains of the party could be described as “realignment of old forces”, investigations reveal that they decided to join forces with UPP following their conviction that “APGA is no longer a political party in view of the discordant tones that has played up over the years”.
Uche had put it this way; “We are well represented here and we have merged APGA with UPP and where ever you have APGA, it is the carcass of the party. To tell you the power behind this merger, the Deputy National Chairman, North, Sadiq Masalla and Evang Chinyere Okeke, National Welfare Officer are with us.
We have a two-time member of House of Representatives from the Southwest, we have Sunny Obashuan, representing South-South, Chairman of all Chairmen, representing the 36 states of the federation, Dr Isah Jega, a member of BOT Prof Francis Dike (SAN) among others. With all these people, are you still looking for authoritative APGA mouth piece?”
Obashuan said, “APGA is like a dead horse and we are aligning our supporters with UPP. I make bold to say this because we are going to test this party with the coming Anambra election. I have the inclination that there in 2017, APGA will cease to exist.
While Masalla stated that all the northern states branches of APGA are now in UPP, Dike said, “What is left in APGA ware just merely fugitive ghosts wondering aimlessly and of course antagonist to themselves and that is why we have been having warfare upon warfare.”
With these developments the main worry in the camp of APGA is how the party will go into the 2017 Anambra election with these cracks. Will Governor Willie Obiano quit the party or is the UPP a threat to APGA’s dominance in Anambra the sympathy it has enjoyed in Igbo land?
Okorie has said Obiano will “not return as second term governor,” and that the new alliance would promote true progressive spirit but a member of APGA’s BOT, Dr. Silvanus Okechi sees it differently.
He said the contentions within the party “is what makes APGA thick”, and that “those who joined the UPP have never been part of APGA. We have our leadership from national to the state level and these names have never featured.
“They were among those who tried to contend with Umeh over the soul of APGA but lost and since then, they have been looking for where to anchor. Of course, they can find safe haven in UPP that is still struggling to survive and built around one man. I don’t think their issue should dominate the pages of newspapers. APGA is strong and focused.”
Source: The Guardian
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