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Tag: Victor Umeh

  • Kanu not Igbo leader – Umeh

    Kanu not Igbo leader – Umeh

    A former National Chairman of All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Chief Victor Umeh, on Wednesday urged Nigerians to disregard the threats being made by the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, that the Igbos would leave the country.

    Umeh said Kanu’s comments did not reflect the opinion of people of South East.

    He described IPOB as a “mere association” with distinct agenda, adding Kanu is only a president of the association.

    The politician spoke to The Nation at the 241st Independence anniversary of the United States held at the American Consul-General residence in Ikoyi, Lagos.

    The ex-APGA chief said Kanu’s order asking people to boycott the Anambra governorship election was made in bad faith, noting that IPOB cannot prevent Anambra people from exercising their rights to choose their governor.

    He said: “Kanu cannot prevent people from exercising their civic rights. That election will come and go. For us in APGA, we take that election very seriously.

    “Kanu cannot direct me not to vote. Kanu is a leader of IPOB, a mere association. IPOB is not an umbrella body of all Igbo people. Kanu represents an association that chose to go by that name. That is what it is.

    “The Igbo are not asking for secession. What we are asking for is equity and fairness in the running of the country.”

    The politician said restructuring would bring about peace in the country, stressing that Nigeria would not disintegrate if it restructures.

    He said people who are afraid of restructuring are the real enemies of the country.

    Also, two Yoruba monarchs at the event cautioned people beating the war drum.

    The Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi, and Oba of Lagos, Oba Rilwan Akiolu, advised those calling for secession to desist from their activities.

    They said the nation’s unity is non-negotiable.

    Oba Adeyemi said: “I urge people calling for the breakup of our country to be cautious of their utterances. We don’t want another war. We are brought together by fate and we must not dismember the country because of parochial interest. We should continue to tolerate one another.”

  • DSS releases Victor Umeh

    DSS releases Victor Umeh

    A former National Chairman of the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA), Chief Victor Umeh, has been released by the Department of State Services (DSS).

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

    The party’s Deputy Secretary, Chief Jerry Obasi, confirmed Umeh’s release.

    He, however, alleged that the arrest was politically motivated.

     

  • 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.

     

  • APGA gets new executives

    … Umeh bows out

    A new national leadership has emerged in the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), thereby drawing a curtain on Victor Umeh’s 10 years leadership of the party.

    The new executive committee has Victor Oye and former Minister of Information, Labaran Maku as chairman and secretary respectively.

    They were elected and sworn into office at a national convention held last Saturday in Awka.

    Speaking while handing over the secretariat to the new executives on Wednesday, Umeh said he had every reason to thank God that his leadership was able to navigate the party out of the troubles it faced.

    While noting that his leadership won all the court cases involving it, Umeh said he would not like the political climate in the party to degenerate any further.

    He said, “We are happy to have two veteran journalists taking over as chairman and secretary

    “The exco taking over will not inherit serious litigation. We are very certain we have elected capable hands to take over from us. We are confident that they will deliver the party to greater heights

    “We are confident that with the foundation that we have laid, APGA would play very important roles in the political history of this country.”

    In his remark, Oye said the new executive committee would build the party into a strong political movement.

    He vowed that the new leadership will not tolerate any form of indiscipline in the party and would work within the tenets of the constitution.

     

     

  • 2015 Senate: APC, PDP plot Umeh’s fall in Anambra

    2015 Senate: APC, PDP plot Umeh’s fall in Anambra

    The All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) are fighting hard to stop the senatorial ambition of the National Chairman of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Chief Victor Umeh, in 2015.

    Though none of the political parties has conducted their primaries in the state to elect their candidates for elective positions, Umeh had already given himself automatic ticket for the Central Senatorial Zone without any challenge.

    The Nation gathered yesterday that is was Umeh’s automatic ticket to himself in the Central Senatorial zone that made some National Assembly members of APGA, led by Ekwunife to defect recently to the PDP.

    According to Ekwunife, “I have joined a party where I will be given the opportunity to air my views and not staying in a place where one person will take every decision, political party is not a cult group,” she said.

     

  • ‘Defectors from APGA to PDP are liabilities’

    ‘Defectors from APGA to PDP are liabilities’

    All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) chieftain Chief Cambell Umeh is the Senior Special Assistant to the National Chairman, Chief Victor Umeh. In this interview with Musa Odoshimokhe, he speaks about the party’s preparations for next year’s elections.

    What is your reaction to the defection of APGA chieftains to the PDP?

    The news that the APGA has collapsed because it has lost its House of Representatives members to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)  is not true.  It is a blessing.  Only the moles went back to the PDP. They came from the PDP to the APGA initially. Leaving our party will allow us to now make peace with ourselves. They came to the APGA when Peter Obi was the governor of Anambra State. That was when we had issues with Chief Mazi Okwu. So, following their departure, the party will now have focus.

    What is now the role of Mr. Peter Obi in the APGA?

    Obi is not a true member of the party.We have said this long ago, but nobody took us seriously. He was never a party man, but a businessman. In 2011, when our leader, the late Chief Emeka Ojukwu, was sick, he could not run for the Presidency. Obi went to the PDP to recruit their members into the APGA. For instance, Joy Emordi ran for Senate under the APGA. Obi brought her from the PDP. Dora Akunyili contested for the Senate in the APGA. she was a PDP woman. Chima Nzeribe was from the PDP. Obi brought him to our party. The three senators did not win election in the the APGA. So,  the party had no senator when Obi was a governor. Even, members of the House of Representatives were imposed on us by Obi. They were only loyal to him. Their defection to the PDP is a huge relief and a blessing in disguise to the APGA.

    How is the party preparing for the governorship election in Lagos State? 

    The party wants to get its bearing in Lagos. Yoruba cannot lay claim to Lagos because Lagos is not a Yoruba name. It is not an Igbo name. It is not a Hausa name. It is a Portuguese name. It was named by the Portuguese, which means the land of promise. Since then, the name has not changed. So, nobody can lay claim to Lagos. It was a colonial settlement. It was not part of the Western Region. In all fairness, nobody can stop any person from exercising his franchise. For those who are laying claim to the ownership of Lagos, they cannot justify this claim. Now, the APGA has been viewed as an Igbo party which cannot make in-road to Lagos, This is not true. Our party is a national party and it has the capacity to produce the governor in any part of the federation.

    Does the party have a formidable structure in Lagos?

    Nigeria has only four political parties-the PDP, the APGA, the Labour Party (LP) and the All Progressives Congress (APC). The APGA has defeated many parties in previous elections. We won the Anambra State governorship election, beating other parties.They could not stop our party. This is an indication that the APGA is on ground. We have followers in Lagos State and we can win the governorship. If we look at the non-indigenes in Lagos State, the APGA can boast of 10 million people, who are in alignment with the party. We want to change the system. It is an alternative party in Lagos.

    We can assure those who are interested in contesting under the APGA of a level playing ground. We will conduct primaries. We will not impose any candidate. That is why our door is open. The APC is the strongest party in Lagos State. But, the PDP is almost dead. Apart from federal appointments , which the PDP is  getting, the party does not exist. Therefore, the only opposition party in Lagos today is the APGA. If President Goodluck Jonathan wants to win Lagos State, he should use the APGA as the platform in Lagos State. All the jamborees in the PDP are meant to attract federal appointments.

    Will the APGA support President Jonathan  for second term?

    In 2015 , our party is prepared to present a candidate for the presidential election. We will release our guidelines soon. In 2011, we supported President Goodluck Jonathan. We had an alliance. We delivered. This time around, for us to support Dr. Jonathan, our major demand is that the PDP in the Southeast should not run for any election. We told the leadership of the PDP that, if they want the APGA to support the President for a second term, the party should not contest other elections in the Southeast. You cannot  contest governorship and parliamentary elections with us and you want us to support you at the presidential election.  In 2003, the Alliance For Democracy adopted the same method. They supported former President Olusegun Obasanjo blindly. That mistake cost them five state in the Southwest. Only Lagos State survived the earthquake. In the INEC guidelines, the presidential election will come first. If we ask our supporters to vote for the PDP at the presidential election,   the lay man in the street will follow the same pattern in other elections.

     

  • APGA chair: Conference meant to decide Nigeria’s future

    APGA chair: Conference meant to decide Nigeria’s future

    The National Chairman of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Chief Victor Umeh, has said the National Conference is a veritable platform for deciding Nigeria’s future.

    Umeh said the conference would afford Nigerians the opportunity to interact and chart the way forward for the nation.

    He said the membership of the conference was good for the Igbo nation.

    Umeh spoke in Umuahia, the Abia State capital, when he inaugurated the party’s secretariat.

    The APGA national chairman explained that though the National Conference did not agree on all the issues raised, but it successfully discussed some fundamental issues of national importance.

    He said such issues would help the country to come out unscathed from its challenging period, if implemented.

    Umeh said the special fund to rebuild the Northeast was rejected because it considered that the civil war victims in the Southeast were not compensated.

    The APGA national chairman said the proper thing was to accommodate the victims of the war and other conflicts across Nigeria.

    He stressed that the conference could not agree on derivation but believed that whatever would be decided would be based on equity and justice.

    Umeh urged the Igbo nation to remain united to make impact in national discourse.

     

     

  • ‘APGA ‘ll win more states’

    ‘APGA ‘ll win more states’

    The National Chairman of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Chief Victor Umeh has charged members to gird their loins, saying the party will win more states in the next general elections.

    He said efforts aimed at repositioning the party for the impending elections in 2015 would be intensified.

    Umeh spoke in Abuja at a ceremony marking the inauguration of the 21-member Caretaker Committee for Imo State by the party’s National Working Committee (NWC).

    The APGA Chairman said: “We are working hard to make sure that we take back our mandate in Imo State. Do not allow your personal interest to hinder the job you need to do. You are to work for the party and not for any individual.

    “The leadership of the party is working hard to win more state in the 2015 and we are not leaving any stone unturned. Open doors to everybody who want to join the party for progress. There are many people who were disappointed and want to join; please embrace them. If we do not win elections, the party will die and we do not want that to happen.

    “Following the dissolution of the Caretaker Committee of our party in Imo State by the National Working Committee at its meeting at the National secretariat on June 24, 2014, the NWC at its meeting of July 11, 2014 reconstituted and approved the following membership of the Caretaker Committee in Imo State, pending the conduct of the next state congress.”

    Former Commissioner in the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Peter Ezeobi, is the chairman of the caretaker committee.

    Other members of the committee include: Deputy Chairman, Dr. David Iwuagwu; State Secretary Victor Chidi Diala; Vice Chairman Okigwe; Chief Ben Ogbuehi; Vice Chairman Orlu Sir Eugene Obi; Vice Chairman Owerri Dr. Chima Nwosu; Organising Secretary Chief John Iwuala; and Women Leader, Mrs Uche Duruzoe Agbasi.

    Others are: Treasurer Jerry Okoro; Legal Adviser Mr. Ikechukwu Ikeji; Assistant Secretary, Pastor Innocent Udunwoke; State Auditor, Obinna Ibe; Assistant Organizing Secretary Emeka Diwe; Assistant Publicity Secretary George Nkworji; Assistant Treasurer Uzozie Gregory; Youth leader Emeka Nwankwo; Financial Secretary Hon. Damian Oguh; Assistant Youth Leader Hon. Ray Chukwuma Metu; State Welfare Secretary Lady Bernadeh Omeiri; Assistant State Auditor  Stephen Anugom; Ex-Officio Members are: Mrs. Chika Ononiwu, Evan Nwakanma, Chief Solomon Eze, Chief Eugene Nzeme and Mr. Okeke Uvhenna Cyprian.

    The NWC had on June 24 dissolved the previous caretaker committee in the state.

     

     

     

  • 2015: APGA legislators can seek re-election

    2015: APGA legislators can seek re-election

    All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) National Chairman Chief Victor Umeh has said that House of Representatives members seeking re-election are free to pursue their ambitions under the platform.

    He rejected the move by party chieftains in Awka North and South Local Government Areas of Anambra State to stop legialators from seeking a second term.

    The National Secretary, Alhaji Sani Shinkafi, who spoke on his behalf in Awka, the state capital, said the decision to ban Hon. Emeka Nwogbo and Kenechukwu Chukwuemeka from contesting was null and void and of no effect.

    He said: “ The attention of the national leadership of our party has been drawn to a media report that APGA leaders in Awka, Anambra State have taken a decision to suspend and bare two lawmakers representing the area from running for a second term in office in 2015.Their decision has no blessing of the party leadership.”

    Some chieftains of APGA in Awka including former Special Adviser to Governor Rochas Okorocha, Chief Austin Ndigwe, former Commissioner of Agriculture, Chief Godson Ezenagu, and  Special Adviser to Anambra State Governor Willie Obiano on Security Matters Chief Chikodi Anara had resolved to suspend Nwogbo and Chukwuemeka over alleged poor performance.

    However, Shinkafi, who dismissed their action, said that, under the APGA constitution, there is no provision for any stakeholder meeting, adding that only the executive committees have the power to suspend members at the local, state and federal levels.

    He stressed: “If the member has failed to discharge his constitutional responsibility to his people, it is for the electorates who voted into office to remove him at the appropriate time. It is not for our party members to start showing to the opposition that our elected representatives are not capable of delivering dividends of democracy to the people. This is not good for the progress of the party in the 2015 general elections.”

    Shinkafi also faulted the suspension of 10 ward executive committees and councillors, saying that at no time was a vote of no confidence passed on them.

    Urging members to prepare for the next year’s election, he said that the party will not allow imposition of candidates.

    “The party will not allow any unconstitutional act by baring or disqualifying any member of the party who wants to aspire to any elective position in 2015. We have a procedure where the party will come out with election guideline on how its candidates will emerge through a democratic process.

     

  • APGA picked Obiano, not Obidigbo, says Umeh

    APGA picked Obiano, not Obidigbo, says Umeh

    Anambra State Elections Petitions Tribunal in Awka, yesterday was told that the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) nominated Governor Willie Obiano and not Dr Chike Obidigbo for the November 16 election.

    Chief Victor Umeh, factional national chairman of the party testified yesterday that Obiano’s name was submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) with that of his deputy, Dr Nkem Okeke.

    He said he signed the forms as chairman of the party, with Alhaji Abdulahi Shinkafi as national secretary.

    Umeh was being cross examined by counsel to Obidigbo, Maduabuchi Oba in the case by Obidigbo challenging the nomination of Obiano by the party.

    He told the tribunal that the primary conducted by APGA was monitored by INEC, adding that any other leadership not recognised by INEC, which produced a candidate, was not valid.

    “I was the validly elected national chairman of APGA and recognised by INEC at the time the nomination of the party’s candidate took place.”

    “I was not a party in the suit that said Chief Maxi Okwu was validly elected chairman of APGA. Prior to that judgment, there was a judgment of the Appeal Court staying execution in the judgment of the Enugu High Court, which removed me and my executive as officers of APGA.”

    “We filed a stay of execution and on April 8, 2013, the Court of Appeal at Enugu granted a stay of execution and that was the day Maxi Okwu was purported to have emerged as the national chairman and his colleagues.”

    Umeh has threatened to take Justice Abdul Kafarati of the Federal High Court, Abuja, before the National judicial council (NJC).

    He said yesterday that judicial impertinence was the problem in Nigeria, adding that his members would petition Kafarati to NJC.

    The factional national chairman said his stay of execution was neither dismissed nor thrown out as being speculated, adding that what happened was that the lower court lacked jurisdiction to hear it.