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Tag: APGA

  • MASSOB, APGA berate Igbo leaders for ‘nonchalance’

    The Movement for Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB) yesterday blasted Igbo leaders for their silence on issues affecting the Southeast.

    It described them as selfish and disunited.

    The movement especially berated governors and National Assembly members of Igbo extraction for allegedly keeping silent over issues affecting the zone.

    A statement by MASSOB National Leader, Comrade Uchenna Madu, said Igbo leaders were responsible for the current poor state of the zone.

    It described the zone’s current leaders as self-seeking.

    The statement reads: “The Southeast has continued to suffer a lack of good leadership because the people our people wanted to represent them at state and national levels – as governors and legislators – were not allowed to emerge during the 2015 general elections. The wishes of the people were not allowed to prevail at the polls and we have continued to suffer for this. The people were completely rigged out during the polls and the effect is telling on them.

    “Many governors and National Assembly members in the zone were imposed on the people by their godfathers. So, Ndigbo will continue to experience a lack of good leadership that will speak and protect them and their interests when it matters most.

    “We in the MASSOB are saying we will no longer allow such to happen again because the people who will represent Ndigbo politically are those we are fighting for in the struggle. Today, our brother, Nnamdi Kanu, has been abandoned. All the senators, House of Representatives members and governors of Igbo extraction have refused to speak out on the incarceration of Kanu.

    “The governors are not united and have not had any meeting to discuss the affairs of Southeast. This is worrisome.”

    Also, the Deputy National Secretary of All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Chief Jerry Obasi, blamed the situation on the alleged imposition of Igbo leaders on the people.

    The politician urged Igbo leaders to close ranks to remedy what he called the battered image of the zone.

    He said: “I wonder the kind of politicians we are breeding these days: self-seeking politicians. I don’t blame them because they are products of flawed elections. They are products of elections that do not reflect the wishes of the people. I am not happy about their behaviours.

    “I watched the burial of the victims of the Nimbo massacre (in Enugu State). There was no any Southeast governor who was there with Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi except Peter Obi, a former governor of Anambra State, who came to the programme.

    “It is unfortunate that other Southeast governors and lawmakers have refused to speak out on the welfare of the people of the zone.

    “The Igbo should use the 2019 election to chart a new political course. Nobody is saying anything as regards the Igbo man, even though they are the voice of the people elected to represent the people.

    “The Igbo have continued to dwindle politically. Look at the way Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu is persecuted. No Southeast governor has said anything about it. Today, he is the biggest political office holder in the zone. We are supposed to protect that his office and guard it jealously.

    “The Igbo man is now a sheep without a shepherd. Yet, they want to strike down the only shepherd we have so that the sheep will scatter.

    He said: “The Igbo should begin to come together; they should begin to think wise politically. I saw the way Metu was battered until he accepted to return the N400 million they said he stole.”

     

  • APGA seeks fairness

    APGA seeks fairness

    The All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) has urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and security agencies to act within the confines of the law in the preparation for the forthcoming Edo State governorship election.

    The party also urged them to ensure a level-playing field for all parties and their Candidates.

    It implored them to avoid a repeat of what it called the manifest sham, disaster and grave fraud that happened against APGA in the Nasarawa/Toto Federal Constituency by-election in Nasarawa State on May 28.

    A statement in Abuja by its National Director of Publicity, Ifeanacho Oguejiofor, said the party was ready for the governorship election in Edo State.

    The statement reads: “More so, the party is in a studious silence, watching and studying the events as they unfold in Abia State as regards to judgment of the Federal High Court in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and subsequent issuance of Certificate of Return to Chief Uche Ogah by the INEC. APGA will surely come out with its position and take the necessary and appropriate actions shortly…”

  • Onaiwu set to join APGA

    Onaiwu set to join APGA

    THE Director-General of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Governors’ Forum,  Osaro Onaiwu has resigned his position, saying he will pursue his governorship ambition on the platform of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA).

    In a letter addressed to the Chairman of the PDP Governor’s Forum, Governor Olusegun Mimiko of Ondo State, he said his resignation was timely.

    Onaiwu was among the four governorship aspirants of the PDP in Edo State before he pulled out from the race, due to what he described as the confusion arising from the PDP crisis.

    Onaiwu said: “I am persuaded to call it quits in order to pursue my future endeavour in other capacity. During my years as DG of the Forum, I am consoled by the fact that my loyalty, competence and service was at no time in doubt, therefore will be leaving with gratitude. I wish to thank His Excellency and all his brother governors, present and former, for their support during my term as DG and wish the Forum the best.

    He added: “I am still running for the governorship race in Edo state come September. You can see the leadership crisis in the PDP and that was why I did not purchase the nomination form under the PDP. But I am going to fly the flag of the APGA in Edo State”.

     

  • APGA Chief denies having link to group

    APGA Chief denies having link to group

    The All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Deputy National Secretary, Chief Jerry Obasi Tuesday dissociated himself from the activities of a group known as Rescue APGA.

    He alleged a plot by a group to destabilize the party and warned that it will not condone such.

    Addressing reporters in Abakaliki Ebonyi state capital, the Deputy National Secretary of the party, Chief Jerry Obasi noted that the group has been cloning phone numbers of some of its national officers to call for a meeting.

    He disassociated himself from the group and urged them to allow the National Chairman of the party to concentrate on his work.

    He said: ‘’I don’t know anything about the group called rescue APGA and I advise them to refrain from their activities.

    ‘’There are more civilized ways to ventilate anger and not in this way. We will not tolerate any plan by any group to destroy our party’’,

    ‘’We have one APGA and it is our duty to protect it.  All we need to do is to support the national chairman and members of the executive’’, he said.

    He described the group as pressure group who are seeking for relevance saying ‘’you cannot destroy APGA to rescue it’’.

    Obasi noted that all efforts should be geared towards winning the Anambra Central Senatorial re-run and the state 2017 governorship election and not causing division in the party.

    The Deputy National Secretary, who described APGA as a party to beat in 2019, said winning a council election in the FCT has confirmed the party as national party.

     

  • APGA urges Ikpeazu to tackle insecurity

    APGA urges Ikpeazu to tackle insecurity

    The All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) in Abia State has urged Governor Okezie Ikpeazu to tackle rising insecurity in the state.

    In a statement by its Chairman, Rev. Augustine Ehiemere, APGA said it was imperative for the Ikpeazu administration to come up with a well thought-out strategy to tackle the menace and keep the state from “sliding back to the dark days when insecurity caused by armed robbery and kidnapping crippled economic activities and sent large population of the city packing.”

    The statement added, “The party regrets that presently, the increasing insecurity in the state is taking a toll on business activities as fear of armed robbers and kidnappers is greatly affecting socio-economic activities of the people greatly, especially Aba residents and visitors to the city.

    “We are urging Ikpeazu not to treat this call with levity, but to insist that security agencies in the state are alive to their responsibilities of crime fighting and ensuring that business and economic activities thrive in the state.”

    Ehiemere also used drew the attention of the governor on the deplorable nature of roads in Aba and other parts of the state, stressing that the roads when put in good shape will help to attract more business investors to the state and enable road users in the state to have easy access in and out Aba.

    APGA also condemned the recent alleged report by the DSS, which claimed that bodies of dead Fulani herdsmen allegedly killed by members of Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) were discovered in a bush between Abia and Imo State.

    “The party is shocked at the attempt by the DSS to link IPOB with the alleged murder of five herdsmen in Abia and wish to say that the pattern and ethnic connotation given to the sad incident even when there were no genuine evidence to prove that the perpetrators are IPOB members was highly unprofessional and inciting against the state and Ndigbo.”

    The party equally advised the DSS and operatives of other security agencies to properly verify their facts and its consequences before letting them  out to the public.

  • APGA denies endorsing Obi for Senate

    APGA denies endorsing Obi for Senate

    The Anambra State chapter of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) has denied  endorsing former Governor Peter Obi of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as its candidate for Anambra Central Senatorial District.

    APGA, through its Integrity Group, described the report as the figment of imagination of its writer and the height of political naivety.

    A statement yesterday in Awka, the state capital, by Great Martin-Kalu said the meeting by the Chief Maxi Okwu-led faction, which reportedly endorsed Obi as the party’s senatorial candidate after a town hall in Awka, was null and void because the former governor did not have the party’s support.

    The statement said: “APGA’s Integrity Group dismisses Shadrack Anakwue’s purported APGA ‘faction’ endorsement of former Governor Peter Obi of the PDP for senatorial bid as the figment of his fertile imagination and the height of political naivety.

    “It is obvious that there is no faction in APGA, following Chief Victor Umeh’s victory in the party’s leadership dispute at the Supreme Court on January 15, 2016. The issue of a ‘faction’ endorsing Obi against the party’s authentic candidate, Chief Victor Umeh, is mere grandstanding and outlandish.

    “While Anakwue is free to support the political ambition of any Nigerian, it is reprehensible and outrageous for him to use “APGA faction” to mislead unweary members of the public for his personal aggrandizement. More so,when effort is being made by the APGA National Leader, Governor Willie Obiano to reconcile aggrieved members of the party Nationwide.

    “It is clear that Peter Obi is not contesting Anambra Central Senatorial re-run poll as the Supreme Court has repeatedly declared in recent judgements on those qualified to contest. Obi is playing to the gallery, a mundane tactic to delay Victor Umeh’s victory as the forerunner in the senatorial election.”

     

  • ‘APGA will bounce back in Abia’

    ‘APGA will bounce back in Abia’

    Reverend Augustine Ehiemere is the chairman of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Abia State chapter. In this interview with Sunny Nwankwo in Aba, he spoke on the Supreme Court judgment, why APGA has refused to congratulate Governor Okezie Ikpeazu, the role of APGA as an opposition party in the state, amongst other issues. Excerpts

    How hurt is your party by the recent Supreme Court judgment on Abia Gubernatorial case?

    I will like to start with a tribute to our members and numerous supporters for their gallantry and steadfastness with which they handled all the challenges of hostile political environment in Abia created by PDP desperados in their quest to capture power and to continue their inglorious governance in Abia State.

    I also want to put on record that APGA is pained and embarrassed by the Supreme Court judgment on Abia 2015 gubernatorial election. It is a judicial conspiracy, a robbery of democracy and subversion of the resolve and the desire of the people of the state for a change for good governance.

    By this judgment, the apex court of Nigeria has ridiculed Nigeria in the eyes of the international community and diminished our country’s status in the comity of nations that practices true democracy in the world. We reject this judgment for some reasons; It is also a national shame that the appeal we legally filled was found missing at the apex court, signifying that something went wrong somewhere. It was also a deliberate act to make injustice legal and wrong to punish innocent appellant as a result of their carelessness and judicial conspiracy with the PDP leaders against President Muhammadu Buhari because of his anti-corruption posture and therefore doesn’t reflect the wishes of the masses that gave Dr. Alex Otti their mandate.

    Why did it take you people (APGA) so long to react on this judgment?

    Actually, when a man rises is his morning. The judgment was a shock and very ridiculous and it is not as if our being quiet was an acceptance to the judgment; we really want to allow people to react and we have heard the reactions of well-meaning Nigerians who love democracy and who also are against and have distanced themselves over Supreme Court judgment on 2015 Abia gubernatorial election.

    Why is it taking APGA as a party and the governorship flag bearer (Dr. Alex Otti) too long to congratulate Governor Okezie Ikpeazu for being victorious at the Supreme Court as the spirit of sportsmanship demands?

    Why will we commend that judgment? That judgment is a judgment that can always thrive in an evil society; in a society where there is corruption and designed for people not to succeed. Commending him (Ikpeazu), means accepting the judgment of the Supreme Court; so, that judgment, as far as we are concerned, is unacceptable and we cannot congratulate him because, he (Ikpeazu) is sitting on another man’s mandate and that is the true fact of it. And let me put the record straight at this point that there is no other APGA in Abia State except the one that I, Reverend Augustine Ehiemere, is in-charge as the state chairman. So, anyone that is congratulating Ikpeazu over the judgment on behalf of APGA is absolutely on his own and any other faction existing in the state is illegal and in the course of time, we will know what to do about it.

    Governor Ikpeazu, in his speech, has equally extended olive branch to your party and other opposition parties in the state. How ready is APGA to accept the invitation and to partner with the present administration in the state?

    Well, until we see a true extension of the olive branch, we will know what to do and what to say.

    As an opposition party, how is APGA going to improve governance in the state?

    We are going to improve governance in the state by engaging in constructive criticism, which a responsible government must accept and make amends. This we will do in order to make sure that what APGA had in mind in going into that election will be seen and enjoyed by the people of Abia State; that is, if the ruling party will listen to constructive criticisms coming from the opposition.

    Are you scared that some of your members will defect to PDP or APC as a result of this judgment?

    Those who will do that are political prostitutes and they are not real APGA members. The real APGA members will remain where they are; none of them will defect. Our leader, Dr. Alex Otti, is poised to remain in APGA, maintain APGA and wait till 2019.

    APGA will definitely bounce back strongly and I am telling you with all boldness and confidence that Abians want change and they know that the present government doesn’t have anything good in mind for them. I also want to tell you that Abians are prepared to still repeat what they did for Dr. Alex Otti and APGA in 2015 when 2019 election comes

  • Umeh’s arrest orchestrated by opponents – APGA

    The All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) on Friday condemned the arrest of its former National Chairman, Chief Victor Umeh, by the Department of State Services (DSS).

    The party in a statement signed by its Deputy National Secretary, Chief Jerry Obasi, said the arrest was politically motivated by his opponents in the forthcoming Anambra Central Senatorial re-run election in a bid to prevent his impending victory at the polls.

    Umeh was arrested in his Aguluzigbo country home in Anambra State on Thursday and later whisked to Abuja for questioning on his alleged sponsorship of the pro-Biafra group, Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).

    But APGA, while describing the arrest as obnoxious and despicable, expressed regret that the DSS has become a willing tool in the hands of political desperadoes aiming to intimidate their political opponents.

    The party, therefore, warned the DSS to release Umeh immediately in the interest of peace.

     

  • Enugu APGA chieftain joins APC

    Enugu APGA chieftain joins APC

    A chieftain of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) in Enugu State, Anthony Nwafor, has defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC).

    Also, party executives in Nkanu East and West councils and their supporters, joined the fray.

    Nwafor said: “I am happy today that I am joining the APC. I chose to join the APC for several reasons; the least being that our people decided to join APC. This is a game of people; if your people say they want you to go here, it is best to go with your people.

    “But aside that, the most important reason for joining the APC is because of the wind of change blowing. I seem to have fallen for most of their tenets and aspirations, as well as their aims and objectives; I love it.

    “I love the fight against corruption; that alone drew me to admire the party because it is in tandem with my stance, having been a member of the anti-corruption fight in Nigeria.”

    On hand to receive Nwafor and his supporters were the state Chairman, Dr. Ben Nwoye, and the Southeast Chairman, Chief Anike Nwoga.

    Nwoye assured them that there was no discrimination between old and new members, noting that every member has equal rights and privileges.

    He advised them to feel at ease with the leadership and feel free to seek advise whenever necessary.

    Nwoga admonished the new members to believe that the APC would take over Enugu State in 2019.

    He told them to spread the message that the APC has arrived.

    “We want you to win votes for the party and not just become a member. We look unto you to deliver your constituencies in the coming local government elections,” Nwoga said.

     

  • Why we upheld Ikpeazu’s election – Supreme Court

    Why we upheld Ikpeazu’s election – Supreme Court

    The Supreme Court on Friday held that Okezie Ikpeazu was returned as governor of Abia because Alex Otti failed to prove the allegations brought against his victory in the April 11, 2015 governorship election.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Ikpeazu and Otti contested the election on the platforms of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) respectively.

    Giving reasons for its Feb. 3 judgment, Justice Suleiman Galadima held that Otti and the APC were unable to prove the issue of over voting, allegations of violence and corrupt practices allegedly perpetrated by the respondents.

    “On the issue of over voting, the court holds that there was no sufficient proof as the voter register and the card reader report were not tendered.

    “The criminal allegation of corrupt malpractices carried out by PDP loyalists for the benefit of the governor was not also proved,’’ he held.

    On the cancellation of the election results in Obingwa, Osisioma Ngwa and Isiala Ngwa by the returning officers, Galadima held that it was wrong.

    “That action amounted to the disenfranchisement of voters. It was also inappropriate for the tribunal to order the cancellation of election.

    “All of this misappropriation only gave room for the unlawful declaration of the APGA candidate by the lower court.

    “Those actions were perversion of justice and the apex court could not have allowed them,’’ he said.

    Galadima further held that the evidence placed before the court showed clearly that the tribunal usurped the constitutional duties of INEC.

    “On the card reader, the court maintains its earlier position that the tribunal cannot supplant the voter register.

    “The gadget is only meant to authenticate bearers of voter card and not meant to usurp the statutory power of the voter register.

    “At the moment, the voter register remains the only authentic document as provided by Section 49 of the Electoral Act to prove allegation of fraud in elections,’’ Galadima declared.