The Nation Newspaper

Tag: APGA

  • APGA and 2019 presidential election

    SIR: The 2019 presidential election would be the third presidential poll the All Progressives Grand Alliance is contesting since the party’s registration in 2002 and it looks set to be her finest outing yet.

    With the benefit of hindsight, the decision not to vie in the 2011 and 2015 presidential poll was an error of judgment. The political interests that APGA supported on the two occasions never reciprocated the gesture but saw it as the perfect opportunity to swallow APGA. Those abstentions from the presidential race stunted the growth of the party and helped to foster the misleading impression of a regional movement.

    However, two developments since 2015 have combined to brighten APGA’s prospects in 2019 elections. The first is the vibrancy that Governor Willie Obiano’s leadership has infused into the party. Doubtless, the mishandling of party primaries in some constituencies introduced drawbacks but indications are that leadership resilience is acting to heal the wounds. The second factor that has upped the ante for APGA is the choice of a presidential flag-bearer with glittering credentials.

    A doctorate degree holder, Maj Gen John Gbor (Rtd) stands out among the three leading presidential contenders. At 70, he is the youngest of the frontline candidates and Nigerians have good reasons to take note of the age factor in deciding who to entrust with the exhausting job of president. A Christian from Benue State, APGA’s John Gbor has no baggage of indictment, incompetence or allegations of misconduct from either 35 years of military service or political appointments. Aside job creation and educational development, Gbor has laid emphasis on fairness through restructuring of the federation in a way that resonates with progressive minded Nigerians.

    Surprises have been pulled before in elections and will continue to be pulled. Donald Trump was expected to suffer crashing defeat in the United States 2016 presidential election but he proved the bookmakers wrong. Balarabe Musa was considered the underdog in the Kaduna State 1979 governorship election but he won comfortably in a State the opposition NPN had two-third majority in the state House of Assembly. By whatever acts of omission or commission, Michael Otedola of the NRC clinched the Lagos State governorship in 1991 in SDP’s comfort zone.

    And in the event that no winner emerges in the first ballot – and this is not a far – fetched scenario considering the comparative strength of the party categories – APGA will become a courted bride. The APGA will be there to negotiate the disadvantaged parts of Nigeria into a fairer deal. Not winning a presidential election does not mean the end or irrelevance of a party. Coalitions and alliances remain a popular way of forming governments, sharing power and engendering stability even in advanced democracies.

    APGA’s is a powerful brand with long – lasting appeal. The APGA has a credible programme for restructuring of the Nigerian state arising from its founding vision. This historical and ideological content is far superior to the gallery playing of restructuring which some ambitious presidential candidates recently latched on to. Where is the commitment to restructuring in this overnight political correctness? As we say in Igbo, you can always tell the difference between the waters of rainfall and that poured on the ground by hand.

    The APGA is in the race to protect the interests of minorities and marginalised sections. It is going into the presidential election to deepen democracy, present wider choices to the electorate and to grow and strengthen the party.  The APGA will contest the 2019 presidential poll most keenly.  She will not be blackmailed into taking the election as a picnic.

     

    • Ifeanyi Afuba, <ifeanyiafuba@yahoo.com>

  • Ngige to PDP, APGA: forget Anambra Central senatorial poll

    The Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige, has said nothing will stop the All Progressives Congress (APC) from winning the Anambra Central senatorial election in 2019.

    The minister advised the candidates of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to steer clear during the election.

    Ngige, who addressed reporters yesterday in Anambra, said: “Sylvester Okonkwo is our candidate and the next senator for Anambra Central. Take it from me.

    “We are going to put everything we have to secure victory for my party, the APC, in Anambra Central. Any other person is now a political enemy. I will throw my weight behind Okonkwo.”

    On the agitations of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), the minister said they were doing theirs in a suicide way, adding that some people were feeding fat on it.

    He said the Movement for the Actualisation of Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB) did such agitation, which appealed to the conscience of Ndigbo, but not the IPOB style.

    “I’m disappointed in the way some of our people are pursuing our agitation. While they are chasing it the crude way, some are using it to feed fat,” Ngige said.

    The minister said the crisis in Imo APC would not affect the votes and re-election of President Muhammadu Buhari in the Southeast.

  • ‘APGA will determine who wins presidency’

    Chief Ifeatu Okoye is the Senior Special Adviser to Governor Willie Obiano on Political Matters. In this interview with NWANOSIKE ONU, the one-time Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) explains why the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) is in crisis and how the party leadership is resolving the logjam. He also says APGA will play a key role in determining who wins next year’s presidential election.

    HOW prepared is APGA for next year’s general elections?

    You will recall that we just finished our party primaries nationwide. I must admit that it presented a lot of challenges for us, because the party has grown in size, stature and membership, as a result of the good works of Governor Willie Obiano, who is also the national leader of APGA.  This is perhaps due to the way the party has been managed in the last few years. This attracted a lot of new members. What we did not reckon with is the fact that these people were coming from different political backgrounds and that has brought a lot of pressure in the conduct of the primaries. But we will remain focused in our quest to more seats at the National Assembly and to win governorship elections in other states across the nation. All things been equal, we intend to win Imo, Abia, Nasarawa and Taraba states. Everything is pointing to that direction. We are fielded Dr Alex Otti again as our candidate in Abia, because of his popularity and influence. We are also looking at Nasarawa State, which we won in 2015, but were rigged out. You recall that the Nasarawa governorship election result was delayed for almost five days. INEC officers who participated in that election refused to be involved in doctoring the result. But, after five days, a new result was announced and we lost Nasarawa State. Unfortunately, the judges didn’t see it at the tribunal and at the Appeal Court. We are fielding the same candidate again, Mr. Labaran Maku, who is also the National Secretary of our party. We are also looking at Taraba and Benue States, because of the new politics of the Middle Belt. At the presidential race, without sounding too ambitious, I want to tell you that APGA will play a cardinal role in determining who will win the election. I am not sure we have done enough in this period to win the presidential election, unless God does it in His own way. We are ready preparing, by picking credible candidates, no matter the crises that may have arisen as a result of the primary.

    Given the crises destabilising your party in Imo and Abia, are you still capable of winning those states?

    There were 19 governorship aspirants on our party’s platform in Imo. I was part of the team that visited the state, even before the primary started. I recall that we interviewed 25 people who wanted to be governor. But, when it came to purchasing the form, only 19 of them did. Out of the 19 aspirants, I can tell you that only about three were members of APGA as at December last year. It tells you that the 16 others were new members. The nature of rancour in Imo State suggests that it was sponsored. We had secret information that most of those aspirants were being sponsored by Governor Rochas Okorocha of the APC and the PDP. Their objective was to destabilize APGA. All of them were part of the process in one way or the order, but in the end a candidate has emerged. If you see the way a lot of them are jumping out, you will see that they are not members of our party. You will also see the way they proved us right as Ikedi Ohakim, who led the first protest is now the candidate of the Accord Party and Okey Eze is now the candidate of the SDP. So, that tells you that the rancour has nothing to do with the conduct of the primary. Where you have 19 people running, one person was bound to win and that person has won. That person is a very strong candidate. He is one person we are very certain has the capacity to win the governorship election in Imo State. In choosing our candidates during the primary, we were looking at many factors. Those factors also include capacity to win the general election. Every aspirant thinks he is popular, but not all of them has the capacity to win. This entails a lot of things. It includes the ability to fund the process of the election. It includes your ability to attract critical institutions that will be there for the election. What is your relationship with the police? What is your relationship with other agencies that will conduct the election? All these form the capacity to win an election. That is very important. A lot of them don’t know or have the idea of what APGA is all about. APGA is not the usual political party. It has a followership that transcends the political class. In Anambra State, we have always won elections, not because it is a political class, but as a result of those institutions; the traditional institutions, disaster institutions, which have been the party’s unique selling point. What we have in Anambra is stronger in Imo, because Imo State has the stronger of Igbo elements, movements there are always difficult. Go to people on the streets, they are going to vote for APGA and, happily, we are fielding a strong candidate, Senator Ifeanyi Ararume. He is strong in every capacity. He is very experienced in every process of the election, because he has been there. He would have been the candidate of PDP a long time ago. He has been a two term senator. So, he understands what it takes. A lot of those who participated don’t even know what it takes to go into general elections. Before now, APGA has always argued that we were unable to defend our results in Imo State. I am happy today that we have a strong candidate who can rob shoulders with those of other political parties.

    You were not clear about APGA’s readiness for election in Anambra State…

    Like I said, we just came out of primary. It was a full house of all sorts. I will give you an example; in Aguata Constituencies I and 1I, there were 13 and 18 House of Assembly aspirants respectively. One seat and only one person would win at the end of the day. Thirty people are going to lose. You now understand the level of ill-feelings that will definitely come out. In Supreme court judgment between Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi and the PDP, it was established that it is the party that people vote for. The candidates use the party as a vehicle to reach their destinations. It is always about the party. Because it is always about the party, in arriving at a decision, we always look beyond the personality in question. Sometimes, a popular person that comes from a small community may not be considered, if the opponent comes from a community that may produce votes may be 10 times of the popular person from a small village. We have to look at this factor. We have to also consider the seeming religious factor. If from your locality, you come from a minority religious sect, it may not be wise for us to field you, unless you show yourself that you have the capacity to rise above that kind of situation. Do you know that in this country, we had Muslim-Muslim tickets? But, it took someone like the late MKO Abiola who everybody accepted. Christians and Muslims accepted him. But, I doubt if anybody can try that again. What I’m saying is that, altogether, we tried our best to produce the best candidates who will carry the party’s flag. It is the disagreement from that exercise that we are currently grappling with. It is connected to the November 2017 governorship election in Anambra State, when a lot of people joined APGA. Many of them have not sat down to really appreciate the culture of APGA. Before now, we did not have this type of noise. APGA had never been a place where you have rancorous party congresses, because we believed in the consensus process, in dialogue. We always choose our candidates in a peculiar way; not from the usual political party election contest.  So, a lot of them were taken by surprise. No true APGA person can insult the governor of a state, who is the national leader and Chairman of the party’s Board of Trustees (BoT). But, be that as it may, when you beat a child, you must one way or the other try to pacify the child. That is what informed the reconciliation committee which I’m the secretary. We have completed our work. Hopefully, this week, we will be presenting our report to the national leader.

    What do you think of what is happening in the House of Assembly? Does it have any connection with the APGA primary?

    I seriously doubt it has anything to do with the primary or members of the opposition. I have my reasons. What happened few days ago was the fourth attempt to remove the Speaker. What it means is that the removal of the Speaker has been lingering. I recall that in October last year, barely a month to the governorship election, 27 members of the House of Assembly signed for the impeachment of the Speaker. But, there was an intervention from the leadership of the party. The governor intervened for very critical reasons; because it was too close to the election. Again, we were just coming out of the national crises in the party: The case of National Chairman and Martin Agbaso. The timing as it were was uncalled for. It does appear to me that there was a postponement of that agitation. So, what is happening now is a continuation of that agitation. It definitely has nothing to do with the primary. But, something may resuscitate an existing issue. In that context, one may say that the circumstances of the primary may have reinvigorated it. But, if you look at it critically, 15 of the old members were re-elected. There are 30 members, excluding two PDP members. That is, they are 14 members left. If it is a product of primary, one will now say the 14 members involved in the impeachment of the speaker. We are getting conflicting number. Some said they are 22 that signed. The Speaker said she had 16 members with her. But one thing in my mind is that there must be a separation of process of notice of impeachment and impeachment proper. Outside the chambers of the house, even within the chambers of the House when it was not in session or when is in session, 30 people can sign. But impeachment of the Speaker must be signed by two-third (20) members of the house. What it means is that there must be a proceedings captured in the votes and proceedings of the house where each of the members voted against the continued presence of the Speaker as the Speaker of the House. We don’t have that record. The votes and proceedings of the day did not show that any such process was conducted.  What we only hear is that 20 people, 22 people, 23 people have signed. It does not matter if 30 people have signed for the removal of the Speaker. Her removal must be in the context of the law within the proceedings of the House where each member will stand up and vote. That is how it is done. That is what is expected of the law. But we must exercise caution. I understand that a few of them were suspended by the party.

  • ‘APGA will determine who wins presidency’

    Chief Ifeatu Okoye is the Senior Special Adviser to Governor Willie Obiano on Political Matters. In this interview with NWANOSIKE ONU, the one-time Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) explains why the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) is in crisis and how the party leadership is resolving the logjam. He also says APGA will play a key role in determining who wins next year’s presidential election.

    HOW prepared is APGA for next year’s general elections?

    You will recall that we just finished our party primaries nationwide. I must admit that it presented a lot of challenges for us, because the party has grown in size, stature and membership, as a result of the good works of Governor Willie Obiano, who is also the national leader of APGA.  This is perhaps due to the way the party has been managed in the last few years. This attracted a lot of new members. What we did not reckon with is the fact that these people were coming from different political backgrounds and that has brought a lot of pressure in the conduct of the primaries. But we will remain focused in our quest to more seats at the National Assembly and to win governorship elections in other states across the nation. All things been equal, we intend to win Imo, Abia, Nasarawa and Taraba states. Everything is pointing to that direction. We are fielded Dr Alex Otti again as our candidate in Abia, because of his popularity and influence. We are also looking at Nasarawa State, which we won in 2015, but were rigged out. You recall that the Nasarawa governorship election result was delayed for almost five days. INEC officers who participated in that election refused to be involved in doctoring the result. But, after five days, a new result was announced and we lost Nasarawa State. Unfortunately, the judges didn’t see it at the tribunal and at the Appeal Court. We are fielding the same candidate again, Mr. Labaran Maku, who is also the National Secretary of our party. We are also looking at Taraba and Benue States, because of the new politics of the Middle Belt. At the presidential race, without sounding too ambitious, I want to tell you that APGA will play a cardinal role in determining who will win the election. I am not sure we have done enough in this period to win the presidential election, unless God does it in His own way. We are ready preparing, by picking credible candidates, no matter the crises that may have arisen as a result of the primary.

    Given the crises destabilising your party in Imo and Abia, are you still capable of winning those states?

    There were 19 governorship aspirants on our party’s platform in Imo. I was part of the team that visited the state, even before the primary started. I recall that we interviewed 25 people who wanted to be governor. But, when it came to purchasing the form, only 19 of them did. Out of the 19 aspirants, I can tell you that only about three were members of APGA as at December last year. It tells you that the 16 others were new members. The nature of rancour in Imo State suggests that it was sponsored. We had secret information that most of those aspirants were being sponsored by Governor Rochas Okorocha of the APC and the PDP. Their objective was to destabilize APGA. All of them were part of the process in one way or the order, but in the end a candidate has emerged. If you see the way a lot of them are jumping out, you will see that they are not members of our party. You will also see the way they proved us right as Ikedi Ohakim, who led the first protest is now the candidate of the Accord Party and Okey Eze is now the candidate of the SDP. So, that tells you that the rancour has nothing to do with the conduct of the primary. Where you have 19 people running, one person was bound to win and that person has won. That person is a very strong candidate. He is one person we are very certain has the capacity to win the governorship election in Imo State. In choosing our candidates during the primary, we were looking at many factors. Those factors also include capacity to win the general election. Every aspirant thinks he is popular, but not all of them has the capacity to win. This entails a lot of things. It includes the ability to fund the process of the election. It includes your ability to attract critical institutions that will be there for the election. What is your relationship with the police? What is your relationship with other agencies that will conduct the election? All these form the capacity to win an election. That is very important. A lot of them don’t know or have the idea of what APGA is all about. APGA is not the usual political party. It has a followership that transcends the political class. In Anambra State, we have always won elections, not because it is a political class, but as a result of those institutions; the traditional institutions, disaster institutions, which have been the party’s unique selling point. What we have in Anambra is stronger in Imo, because Imo State has the stronger of Igbo elements, movements there are always difficult. Go to people on the streets, they are going to vote for APGA and, happily, we are fielding a strong candidate, Senator Ifeanyi Ararume. He is strong in every capacity. He is very experienced in every process of the election, because he has been there. He would have been the candidate of PDP a long time ago. He has been a two term senator. So, he understands what it takes. A lot of those who participated don’t even know what it takes to go into general elections. Before now, APGA has always argued that we were unable to defend our results in Imo State. I am happy today that we have a strong candidate who can rob shoulders with those of other political parties.

    You were not clear about APGA’s readiness for election in Anambra State…

    Like I said, we just came out of primary. It was a full house of all sorts. I will give you an example; in Aguata Constituencies I and 1I, there were 13 and 18 House of Assembly aspirants respectively. One seat and only one person would win at the end of the day. Thirty people are going to lose. You now understand the level of ill-feelings that will definitely come out. In Supreme court judgment between Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi and the PDP, it was established that it is the party that people vote for. The candidates use the party as a vehicle to reach their destinations. It is always about the party. Because it is always about the party, in arriving at a decision, we always look beyond the personality in question. Sometimes, a popular person that comes from a small community may not be considered, if the opponent comes from a community that may produce votes may be 10 times of the popular person from a small village. We have to look at this factor. We have to also consider the seeming religious factor. If from your locality, you come from a minority religious sect, it may not be wise for us to field you, unless you show yourself that you have the capacity to rise above that kind of situation. Do you know that in this country, we had Muslim-Muslim tickets? But, it took someone like the late MKO Abiola who everybody accepted. Christians and Muslims accepted him. But, I doubt if anybody can try that again. What I’m saying is that, altogether, we tried our best to produce the best candidates who will carry the party’s flag. It is the disagreement from that exercise that we are currently grappling with. It is connected to the November 2017 governorship election in Anambra State, when a lot of people joined APGA. Many of them have not sat down to really appreciate the culture of APGA. Before now, we did not have this type of noise. APGA had never been a place where you have rancorous party congresses, because we believed in the consensus process, in dialogue. We always choose our candidates in a peculiar way; not from the usual political party election contest.  So, a lot of them were taken by surprise. No true APGA person can insult the governor of a state, who is the national leader and Chairman of the party’s Board of Trustees (BoT). But, be that as it may, when you beat a child, you must one way or the other try to pacify the child. That is what informed the reconciliation committee which I’m the secretary. We have completed our work. Hopefully, this week, we will be presenting our report to the national leader.

    What do you think of what is happening in the House of Assembly? Does it have any connection with the APGA primary?

    I seriously doubt it has anything to do with the primary or members of the opposition. I have my reasons. What happened few days ago was the fourth attempt to remove the Speaker. What it means is that the removal of the Speaker has been lingering. I recall that in October last year, barely a month to the governorship election, 27 members of the House of Assembly signed for the impeachment of the Speaker. But, there was an intervention from the leadership of the party. The governor intervened for very critical reasons; because it was too close to the election. Again, we were just coming out of the national crises in the party: The case of National Chairman and Martin Agbaso. The timing as it were was uncalled for. It does appear to me that there was a postponement of that agitation. So, what is happening now is a continuation of that agitation. It definitely has nothing to do with the primary. But, something may resuscitate an existing issue. In that context, one may say that the circumstances of the primary may have reinvigorated it. But, if you look at it critically, 15 of the old members were re-elected. There are 30 members, excluding two PDP members. That is, they are 14 members left. If it is a product of primary, one will now say the 14 members involved in the impeachment of the speaker. We are getting conflicting number. Some said they are 22 that signed. The Speaker said she had 16 members with her. But one thing in my mind is that there must be a separation of process of notice of impeachment and impeachment proper. Outside the chambers of the house, even within the chambers of the House when it was not in session or when is in session, 30 people can sign. But impeachment of the Speaker must be signed by two-third (20) members of the house. What it means is that there must be a proceedings captured in the votes and proceedings of the house where each of the members voted against the continued presence of the Speaker as the Speaker of the House. We don’t have that record. The votes and proceedings of the day did not show that any such process was conducted.  What we only hear is that 20 people, 22 people, 23 people have signed. It does not matter if 30 people have signed for the removal of the Speaker. Her removal must be in the context of the law within the proceedings of the House where each member will stand up and vote. That is how it is done. That is what is expected of the law. But we must exercise caution. I understand that a few of them were suspended by the party.

     

  • ‘APGA will determine who wins presidency’

    Chief Ifeatu Okoye is the Senior Special Adviser to Governor Willie Obiano on Political Matters. In this interview with NWANOSIKE ONU, the one-time Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) explains why the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) is in crisis and how the party leadership is resolving the logjam. He also says APGA will play a key role in determining who wins next year’s presidential election.

    HOW prepared is APGA for next year’s general elections?

    You will recall that we just finished our party primaries nationwide. I must admit that it presented a lot of challenges for us, because the party has grown in size, stature and membership, as a result of the good works of Governor Willie Obiano, who is also the national leader of APGA.  This is perhaps due to the way the party has been managed in the last few years. This attracted a lot of new members. What we did not reckon with is the fact that these people were coming from different political backgrounds and that has brought a lot of pressure in the conduct of the primaries. But we will remain focused in our quest to more seats at the National Assembly and to win governorship elections in other states across the nation. All things been equal, we intend to win Imo, Abia, Nasarawa and Taraba states. Everything is pointing to that direction. We are fielded Dr Alex Otti again as our candidate in Abia, because of his popularity and influence. We are also looking at Nasarawa State, which we won in 2015, but were rigged out. You recall that the Nasarawa governorship election result was delayed for almost five days. INEC officers who participated in that election refused to be involved in doctoring the result. But, after five days, a new result was announced and we lost Nasarawa State. Unfortunately, the judges didn’t see it at the tribunal and at the Appeal Court. We are fielding the same candidate again, Mr. Labaran Maku, who is also the National Secretary of our party. We are also looking at Taraba and Benue States, because of the new politics of the Middle Belt. At the presidential race, without sounding too ambitious, I want to tell you that APGA will play a cardinal role in determining who will win the election. I am not sure we have done enough in this period to win the presidential election, unless God does it in His own way. We are ready preparing, by picking credible candidates, no matter the crises that may have arisen as a result of the primary.

    Given the crises destabilising your party in Imo and Abia, are you still capable of winning those states?

    There were 19 governorship aspirants on our party’s platform in Imo. I was part of the team that visited the state, even before the primary started. I recall that we interviewed 25 people who wanted to be governor. But, when it came to purchasing the form, only 19 of them did. Out of the 19 aspirants, I can tell you that only about three were members of APGA as at December last year. It tells you that the 16 others were new members. The nature of rancour in Imo State suggests that it was sponsored. We had secret information that most of those aspirants were being sponsored by Governor Rochas Okorocha of the APC and the PDP. Their objective was to destabilize APGA. All of them were part of the process in one way or the order, but in the end a candidate has emerged. If you see the way a lot of them are jumping out, you will see that they are not members of our party. You will also see the way they proved us right as Ikedi Ohakim, who led the first protest is now the candidate of the Accord Party and Okey Eze is now the candidate of the SDP. So, that tells you that the rancour has nothing to do with the conduct of the primary. Where you have 19 people running, one person was bound to win and that person has won. That person is a very strong candidate. He is one person we are very certain has the capacity to win the governorship election in Imo State. In choosing our candidates during the primary, we were looking at many factors. Those factors also include capacity to win the general election. Every aspirant thinks he is popular, but not all of them has the capacity to win. This entails a lot of things. It includes the ability to fund the process of the election. It includes your ability to attract critical institutions that will be there for the election. What is your relationship with the police? What is your relationship with other agencies that will conduct the election? All these form the capacity to win an election. That is very important. A lot of them don’t know or have the idea of what APGA is all about. APGA is not the usual political party. It has a followership that transcends the political class. In Anambra State, we have always won elections, not because it is a political class, but as a result of those institutions; the traditional institutions, disaster institutions, which have been the party’s unique selling point. What we have in Anambra is stronger in Imo, because Imo State has the stronger of Igbo elements, movements there are always difficult. Go to people on the streets, they are going to vote for APGA and, happily, we are fielding a strong candidate, Senator Ifeanyi Ararume. He is strong in every capacity. He is very experienced in every process of the election, because he has been there. He would have been the candidate of PDP a long time ago. He has been a two term senator. So, he understands what it takes. A lot of those who participated don’t even know what it takes to go into general elections. Before now, APGA has always argued that we were unable to defend our results in Imo State. I am happy today that we have a strong candidate who can rob shoulders with those of other political parties.

    You were not clear about APGA’s readiness for election in Anambra State…

    Like I said, we just came out of primary. It was a full house of all sorts. I will give you an example; in Aguata Constituencies I and 1I, there were 13 and 18 House of Assembly aspirants respectively. One seat and only one person would win at the end of the day. Thirty people are going to lose. You now understand the level of ill-feelings that will definitely come out. In Supreme court judgment between Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi and the PDP, it was established that it is the party that people vote for. The candidates use the party as a vehicle to reach their destinations. It is always about the party. Because it is always about the party, in arriving at a decision, we always look beyond the personality in question. Sometimes, a popular person that comes from a small community may not be considered, if the opponent comes from a community that may produce votes may be 10 times of the popular person from a small village. We have to look at this factor. We have to also consider the seeming religious factor. If from your locality, you come from a minority religious sect, it may not be wise for us to field you, unless you show yourself that you have the capacity to rise above that kind of situation. Do you know that in this country, we had Muslim-Muslim tickets? But, it took someone like the late MKO Abiola who everybody accepted. Christians and Muslims accepted him. But, I doubt if anybody can try that again. What I’m saying is that, altogether, we tried our best to produce the best candidates who will carry the party’s flag. It is the disagreement from that exercise that we are currently grappling with. It is connected to the November 2017 governorship election in Anambra State, when a lot of people joined APGA. Many of them have not sat down to really appreciate the culture of APGA. Before now, we did not have this type of noise. APGA had never been a place where you have rancorous party congresses, because we believed in the consensus process, in dialogue. We always choose our candidates in a peculiar way; not from the usual political party election contest.  So, a lot of them were taken by surprise. No true APGA person can insult the governor of a state, who is the national leader and Chairman of the party’s Board of Trustees (BoT). But, be that as it may, when you beat a child, you must one way or the other try to pacify the child. That is what informed the reconciliation committee which I’m the secretary. We have completed our work. Hopefully, this week, we will be presenting our report to the national leader.

    What do you think of what is happening in the House of Assembly? Does it have any connection with the APGA primary?

    I seriously doubt it has anything to do with the primary or members of the opposition. I have my reasons. What happened few days ago was the fourth attempt to remove the Speaker. What it means is that the removal of the Speaker has been lingering. I recall that in October last year, barely a month to the governorship election, 27 members of the House of Assembly signed for the impeachment of the Speaker. But, there was an intervention from the leadership of the party. The governor intervened for very critical reasons; because it was too close to the election. Again, we were just coming out of the national crises in the party: The case of National Chairman and Martin Agbaso. The timing as it were was uncalled for. It does appear to me that there was a postponement of that agitation. So, what is happening now is a continuation of that agitation. It definitely has nothing to do with the primary. But, something may resuscitate an existing issue. In that context, one may say that the circumstances of the primary may have reinvigorated it. But, if you look at it critically, 15 of the old members were re-elected. There are 30 members, excluding two PDP members. That is, they are 14 members left. If it is a product of primary, one will now say the 14 members involved in the impeachment of the speaker. We are getting conflicting number. Some said they are 22 that signed. The Speaker said she had 16 members with her. But one thing in my mind is that there must be a separation of process of notice of impeachment and impeachment proper. Outside the chambers of the house, even within the chambers of the House when it was not in session or when is in session, 30 people can sign. But impeachment of the Speaker must be signed by two-third (20) members of the house. What it means is that there must be a proceedings captured in the votes and proceedings of the house where each of the members voted against the continued presence of the Speaker as the Speaker of the House. We don’t have that record. The votes and proceedings of the day did not show that any such process was conducted.  What we only hear is that 20 people, 22 people, 23 people have signed. It does not matter if 30 people have signed for the removal of the Speaker. Her removal must be in the context of the law within the proceedings of the House where each member will stand up and vote. That is how it is done. That is what is expected of the law. But we must exercise caution. I understand that a few of them were suspended by the party.

     

  • Minimum Wage: Nigerian workers deserve a better deal—Victor Oye

    Dr Victor Oye, National Chairman of All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) on Wednesday in Awka said Nigerian Workers deserve all that they could get due to their contributions to development of the country.

    Oye, made the assertion in an interview with our reporter, said the economic reality of the country had made workers the “weeping boys” of the system.

    He urged the Federal Government to not only enhance their pay but improve on their working conditions.

    The APGA chairman commended the quality of negotiations between government, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Organised Private Sector that led to aversion of the threatened industrial action.

    Oye commended the Anambra Government for paying salaries on the 25th every month and for being among the first states to offer to pay N30, 000 minimum wage

    “Nigerian workers deserve a better deal considering the harsh economic atmosphere in the country; they have always been at the receiving end.

    “That the Federal Government is able to avert the strike brought a huge relief to Nigerians and averted what would have come with consequences of embarrassing proportion.

    “APGA urges the federal and state governments to take the welfare of workers seriously.

    “They must come up with a programme on how to develop the cognitive and latent talents of workers to make them more productive,” he said.

    Read Also:I’m committed to new minimum wage – Buhari

    On his part, Senator Victor Umeh, representing Anambra Central at the National Assembly, said he considered the N30,000 a meager amount that could not lift any home out if poverty.

    Umeh argued that governors could pay the amount the NLC was asking for if they could appropriate the state resources efficiently and be more innovative.

    “Nigerian workers do not have a living wage; we cannot continue to pretend and say there is no money when a lot of people are living in affluence.

    “They deserve living wage, even the N30, 000 they are demanding is not a living wage, government should know how to manage its resources to enable it pay workers,” he said.

    Umeh thanked workers for suspending the strike that was to begin on Nov. 6 and expressed the hope that all parties would respect the terms reached during the negotiations.

  • APGA will accommodate all, says Araraume

    The Imo State All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) governorship candidate, Senator Ifeanyi Araraume, has promised to lead a government that will accommodate all interests, if elected.

    The APGA chieftain assured party members that those who work would be rewarded.

    This came as a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu, praised the leadership qualities of Araraume.

    The businessman insisted that the senaotr won the 2007 governorship election in Imo State but was denied its victory.

    The Media Unit of Senator Araraume Campaign Organisation quoted its principal as speaking at the weekend at his home in Isiebu, Isiala Mbano in Imo State when he hosted a reconciliation ceremony attended by thousands of party’s members and friends.

    He said APGA would win the governorship election.

    Araraume urged APGA members to take charge of the campaign, promising to make sure the party wins the governorship poll.

    He said: “We had our primaries; we have finished with it. The party has submitted names. Like in every contest, you have winners and losers. But the most important thing is to unite the party by talking to all those who contested the primary with you at all levels and lost. We are talking to them that APGA is one big formidable family. All of us must work together.

    “The size of government is very large and everyone will find some accommodation somehow. People will work from the local government level up to the national level. We have the local government that will take some people; others will be interested in doing business with government. There is a lot to be done. But what is most important is to unite everybody and make APGA a formidable machine to win the election in 2019.”

    The governorship hopeful said in the next few weeks, some people who were not comfortable with the outcome of the primary would return to the party.

  • Imo 2019: APGA crisis casts shadow on party’s fortunes

    As Ikedi Ohakim and other APGA governorship aspirants desert Araraume, the party’s supporters are worried how the face-off would impact on the party’s fortunes in 2019, reports Associate Editor, Sam Egburonu

    SINCE the National Working Committee (NWC) of All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) declared Senator Ifeanyi Araraume as the party’s duly elected governorship candidate in the state, there has been tension in the state chapter of the party as some of the major stakeholders affected by the decision allegedly threaten to either leave the party or work against it in the 2019 elections.

    The aggrieved governorship aspirants have not only protested against the party’s National Working Committee, but are said to have accused the leadership of the party in the state of ‘being weak,’ warning that they may decide to take their fate in their hands.

    They openly condemned the party’s leadership for organising a governorship primary election where only two aspirants participated out of about 15 top aspirants formally screened for the election.

    It would be recalled that at a time, up to 20 aspirants showed interest for the party’s ticket. Some of the earliest aspirants that showed interest in the party’s ticket included Frank Nneji, the Chief Executive Officer, ABC Transport; Okey Ezeh, CEO, Savvycorp Limited; Sam Amadi, a former Chairman of Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC); Chidi Okoro, a former Managing Director/CEO of UAC Foods; Stephen Nwoga, Deputy National Organising Secretary of the party, among others

    However, when after the primary held at Kanu Nwankwo Stadium, Owerri, the APGa Returning Officer, Mrs. Eberechukwu Ejikeme, declared Araraume the winner, the others cried blue murder and some of them threatened to start a factional party if the National Working Committee fails to resolve the matter promptly. Mrs. Ejikeme had announced that Araraume got 583 votes to beat other aspirants like Okey Eze (61); Frank Nneji (48); Daniel Kanu (90); Ike Ibe (15) Ikedi Ohakim (27), among others.

    But the other aspirants had described the said primary election as a sham, alleging that only two aspirants actually contested in the controversial election when over 15 aspirants were screened for the election.

    Some insiders even said the aspirants have concluded plans to defect to other parties in order to fight against APGA in the forthcoming elections. It was for example, speculated that the former governor of the state, Ikedi Ohakim, may defect to the Accord Party (AP). The speculation gained ground after Ohakim, speaking through his Media Director, Collins Ughala, said pointedly that he was angered by ‘the election in which Araraume was said to have been the winner.’

    But others, like Sam Amadi, told newsmen that aggrieved gubernatorial aspirants vying under APGA would help the party out of its present crisis.

    Admitting that the aspirants had already lost confidence in the State Working Committee (SWC) of the party; he said that they have however decided to come together to address the problem without resort to the SWC.

    As he puts it: “The SWC is weak, they rely on what the national said, so we have decided to take our own fate in our own hands.”

    The Nation investigation during the week however confirmed that the over 13 governorship aspirants of the party who lost out are dissatisfied with the declaration of Araraume, a development; analysts said may impact negatively on the fortunes of the party in 2019 elections. According to Chief Vitalis Nneji, an APGA member in Mbaise, “It is true that most of the other leading aspirants, especially Ikedi Ohakim, Frank Nneji, Bright Nwanne, Steve Nwoga, Sam Amadi and Okey Eze were displeased with Ararume’s declaration. This does not however mean that the problem cannot be resolved by the leaders of the party. APGA is not the only party where other aspirants would allege fraud after the elections. I believe it is a family matter that must be resolved as soon as possible.’

    The face-off could be traced beyond late September when some supporters of some governorship aspirants in the party, like the former governor of the state, Ikedi Ohakim, protested that their supporters were unable to get forms to participate in the party’s ward congress. They accused the organisers of the congress of hatching a plot aimed at favouring one of the governorship aspirants.

    Some concerned observers then concluded that the matter was effectively resolved, when, because of the protests, the ward congress was momentarily shifted to give some aspirants enough time to purchase forms for the ward congress.

    Before the ward congress, some informed observers have noted that the party risked possible implosion following the nature and number of aspirants interested in flying its flag in the 2019 governorship election.

    Commenting on the fear then, Chuks Oluigbo, wrote as far back as September that the development posed a challenge. As he put it: “When the number of politicians aspiring for the governorship ticket of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) in Imo State began to swell a few months back, some political analysts interpreted it as a sign of the high level of acceptance of the party in the state. Even when the number of aspirants hit 20 and counting, they said it was a vote of no confidence on the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), and a sign that Imo citizens were looking to APGA for salvation in 2019.

    “There were, however, a few observers who saw the large number of governorship aspirants in the party as a bad sign. For this group, the concern was that the way the number of aspirants was growing, the party risked an implosion if the primary election and its outcome were not properly managed.

    “But some members of the party quickly dismissed these fears, arguing that since democracy was a game of numbers, the influx of new members into the party was a positive sign which, if properly harnessed, could translate into electoral victory for the party in next year’s governorship election. They also dismissed the fears that the party may have rancorous primaries owing to the large number of aspirants.”

    Concerned observers are expressing fear that unless something is done quickly, the party, which is rated very high as one of the leading political parties in the southeastern state, may take the back seat in the 2019 governorship election.

     

    How far can APGA under Araraume go?

    When Senator Ifeanyi Godwin Araraume defected to APGA from All Progressives Congress (APC), there was a stir both within APC and APGA. Whilst the leadership of the ruling APC in the state expressed relief at his defection, because of the long-drawn face-off he had with the leadership in the state, some APGA chieftains openly expressed fear that he may attempt to hijack the party. With his emergence and the criticism by the aspirants that lost out, it remains to be seen how the party would manage to re-unite its members to support Araraume in the elections.

    Aside the disagreement however, it is clear that Araraume, who served at the Red Chamber between 1999 and 2007), is a strong politician and experienced enough to win the Imo governorship election.

    As the pioneer chairman of the then All People’s Party (APP) in the state, he displayed his acceptability and political prowess when he abandoned the then APP a few weeks to the primary election and grabbed the PDP ticket for the Imo North Senatorial seat.

    He is also one of the oldest aspirants to the governorship seat in Imo State. It is on record that his aspiration to this plum seat dates back to 2007. Although this aspiration was truncated by some powerful forces within the ranks of PDP, who secretly supported Ikedi Ohakim, Araraume has, ever since then, remained in the permutation of Imo State’s governorship race.

    In 2011 and 2014 (for the 2015) elections, for example, he continued the quest to govern the state. Given these, informed observers said he seems fully prepared for the job. “Senator Araraume, we must all agree, is one of the most prepared candidates for the job of governor in Imo State. What we don’t know however, is how far he can go on the ticket of APGA in today’s Imo State. This is even more so, as the party seems divided today,” said Barrister Usim Umunna, a political analyst in Owerri.

    Umunna explained that on the surface, APGA is a strong party in Imo State, adding that “with Araraume, the party also has a strong candidate; an experienced grassroots politician and a hard fighter. His major challenge is that he may be contesting on the platform of a divided house.”

    That apart, Araraume, who hails from Okigwe Senatorial zone, may have a hard time convincing advocates of zoning who are agitating for the turn of Owerri zone.

    These challenges notwithstanding, informed observers said the governorship election in Imo State is poised to be tricky. This is because of the long-drawn disagreement in the ruling party, All Progressives Congress (APC), over its governorship candidate.

    “With the confusion in Imo APC, it seems the 2019 governorship election has become really unpredictable. The situation is such that any serious political party’s flag bearer, any serious candidate can enter into strategic alliances that may tilt the balance in his favour. This being the case, it may be wrong to dismiss the chances of an experienced candidate like Araraume and his party, APGA. Both the party and its candidate have a name in Imo. It however depends on how far the drivers of the political game would go to achieve results,” said Umunna.

  • ‘APGA humiliated Ojukwu by denying Bianca ticket’

    The Ralph Uwazuruike-led Biafra Independence Movement (BIM) yesterday bemoaned the outcome of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) primary for Anambra South Senatorial District.

    It said the late Igbo leader, Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu, was humiliated.

    Leader of the group in Enugu West Zone, Anayochukwu Eze, told reporters that the late Ikemba would feel sad in his grave for the alleged injustice meted out to his wife, Bianca.

    Eze, who spoke alongside Nwanosike Igbo and Chief Edwin Iloagu, a member of the BIM-MASSOB elder-in-council, said the late Ojukwu would be saddened by the activities of the APGA leadership.

    He said: “APGA is no more an Igbo party. They have betrayed our icon, the late Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu, by pushing out his wife from the party’s primary. They did not show any respect for our icon.

    “Like we said before, we have passed a vote of no confidence on them. That is why we said they should not use our logo for anything again: either in their vehicles or branded clothes. Let them be on their own and allow our icon to rest in peace.

    “We know how Ojukwu suffered for that party. He solely marketed that party to make it known as Igbo party, but they betrayed him, even in death.

    “He would be so sad where he is now because nobody would have believed that he would be so treated by same people who rode on his name to become what they are today, including Anambra State Governor Willie Obiano.

    “He has forgotten so soon how BIM-MASSOB stood by him when Independent People of Biafra (IPOB) insisted that there would be no election. But we countered them, convinced our people to participate in that governorship election and he won. Few months after, he is fighting our icon.

    “All those involved will suffer the consequence of betraying our icon; they will test our might during the upcoming election. However, our late leader will be happy now, due to the action we have taken so far and we shall perfect it during the election period. They will all be humiliated.”

  • MASSOB hails APGA for denying Bianca senatorial ticket

    The Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB) has described the Bianca Ojukwu’s failed senatorial bid as a divine act.

    The group said she failed because she disobeyed her husband, the late Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu, and the ancestors of Igboland

    MASSOB.

    A statement yesterday by the National Director of Information, Edeson Samuel, hailed the decision of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) in denying her the senatorial ticket.

    The statement reads: “The leadership of MASSOB, under Comrade Uchenna Madu, expresses its deep appreciation and gratitude to the leadership of APGA, delegates from Anambra South and Ndigbo in general for harkening to MASSOB’s call not to give Bianca Ojukwu ticket.

    “We understand that some disgruntled and self-centered persons are behind her pressured political ambition, they wanted to deceive and use her perceived political position to enrich and draw attention to themselves.

    “Though she is loved, honoured and acknowledged by Ndigbo as the wife of the Eze Igbo Gburugburu, still MASSOB can never allow Iyom Bianca Ojukwu to be rubbished or mesmerised by anyone or group.

    “MASSOB warns that APGA should not be blamed or castigated for Bianca’s failure; she failed because she disobeyed her husband and our ancestors. Her failure is a divine act. MASSOB, under Comrade Uchenna Madu, will never relent or derail in defence of the integrity, honour and respect of Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu.

    “We advice the Igbo governors on the importance of establishing a human development centre in honour and memorial of Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu, a centre that will alleviate the sufferings of marginalised widows in Igbo land.”