•I’m fighting just cause, says factional leader
Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja
The leadership of the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) has asked the security agencies to arrest, investigate and prosecute its former National Chairman, Chief Chekwas Okorie and Chief Edozie Njoku for claiming to be the party’s presidential candidate and national chairman respectively.
But in reaction, Okorie described the call by the APGA leadership as a deliberate attempt to obfuscate a legitimate call for a just cause.
Continuing, APGA leadership said the security agencies should arrest the two men for their alleged, “illegal and criminal conducts,” in order to save the country’s fledgling democracy.
In a communiqué issued at the end of the meeting of the National Working Committee of APGA at Abuja, the party said the security agencies should treat with dispatch, “all issues pertaining to the unlawful activities of Chief Edozie Njoku, Chief Chekwas Okorie and their co-travellers.”
The communiqué signed by all the members of the party’s National Working Committee said they met to deliberate on salient issues and other sundry matters affecting the party in the build up to the 2023 general elections.
“The NWC reviewed the activities leading to the nomination of its candidates across various states of the federation, particularly as it relates to the conduct of its ward congresses and primary elections nationwide.
“The NWC further drew attention and treated with dispatch, all issues pertaining to the unlawful activities of Chief Edozie Njoku, Chief Chekwas Okorie and their co-travellers,” it said.
In another statement signed by the National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Tex Okechukwu, the party warned Okorie and Njoku to stop their illegal act, saying both of them had been dismissed from APGA.
He said: “For your information a national chairman of APGA can only come from a properly constituted national convention supervised by INEC”.
Okechukwu advised the former chairman and his group to stop misleading and confusing, the public, adding that APGA has only one National Chairman, Victor Ike Oye, who was elected with other members of the National Working Committee (NWC) at a convention held on May 31, 2019, supervised by INEC, Which had in attendance the former governor of Anambra State, Chief Willie Obiano,, the 36 chairmen of the state of the federation of APGA party including the FTC members of State House of Assembly, BOT members and NEC.
At the end of the meeting, the NWC unanimously expressed its deepest appreciation and vote of confidence on the National Chairman, Victor Ike Oye and commended him over the manner he piloted the activities leading to the successful congresses and primary of APGA nationwide.
It also congratulated all successful candidates of APGA on their emergence as standard bearers of the party for various elective offices in the forthcoming 2023 general election.
The NWC further enjoined them to be magnanimous in victory by extending their hands of fellowship to their co-aspirants.
The party commended all the aspirants of the party that were not successful at the primary election for their sense of professionalism, which according to it was clearly shown by the rancour-free primary. The NWC admonished them to accept defeat without recourse to needless litigation.
However, APGA noted with utter dismay and discontentment, “the meddlesome and unlawful activities of Chief Edozie Njoku, Chief Chekwas Okorie and their cohorts in unduly interfering in the internal affairs of APGA and their attempt to ridicule the sanctity of the Supreme Court.”
The NWC called on relevant security agencies to swing into action forthwith by investigating, arresting and prosecuting the above-mentioned persons and their cohorts for their illegal and criminal conducts in order to save our fledgling democracy.
It also urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to continue to show its commitment, dedication and professionalism in defence of our electoral process.
The NWC further commended the Commission for its forthrightness, courage and sense of duty and preparedness in the build-up to the 2023 General Election.
The NWC urged President Muhammadu Buhari to step up efforts aimed at securing the citizens of our great nation and improving the dire state of the nation’s economy.
It noted and commended Buhari for the assurances of a free, fair and credible election in 2023.
Meanwhile, Okorie in a statement yesterday described the move by the APGA leadership as a deliberate attempt to obfuscate a legitimate call for a just cause.
On the call for his arrest, Okorie said Nigeria’s security agencies were well aware of his residences.
“The call for my arrest is not only gratuitous, it is a preposterous demand that either lacks understanding of issues being canvassed or a deliberate attempt to obfuscate a legitimate call for a just cause,” he said.
Okorie who claimed that he only responded to the invitation by a splinter group led by Njoku to come and rejoin the party, said some people in the party were panicked because the truth had come out.
Okorie also said that contrary to the claim that he was sacked by the party for anti-party activities, he voluntarily left the party in 2012.
“I founded APGA in 2002. None of these individuals were there. When brigands were sponsored to destroy APGA, and billions of naira spent to fight me, I chose to step aside so as not to destroy a vision that encapsulates the political aspirations of Ndigbo.
“I voluntarily surrendered the certificate of our great party to INEC in 2012.
“INEC wrote to me in 2009 to reaffirm my chairmanship of APGA. These are facts that can be checked at the relevant agencies. It is also in my book, APGA and the Igbo Question.
“A delegation was led to my home to apologise and plead with me to return to the party I founded by Chief Edozie Njoku and the NWC. I really had no option but to accept and I re-registered as a member,” he said.
