The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has been told that it has a responsibility to comply with the clear judgement of the Supreme Court in line with its consequential orders as clearly spelt out in its enrolled order to recognize Chief Edozie Njoku as the authentic subsisting National Chairman of APGA.
Making the admonition he personally signed and made available to LEADERSHIP Friday in Abuja, yesterday, the founding national chairman of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) Chief Chekwas Okorie noted that APGA is the second oldest political party in Nigeria today, adding that the party has immense untapped potential to deepen democracy in Nigeria.
He said that INEC has a responsibility to support APGA to grow and contribute to the growth of democracy in the country, saying that the commission has a responsibility to bring the 19-year leadership crisis in the party to a close by doing the needful.
In the statement that he titled, “APGA Leadership Crisis: Enough is enough,” Okorie went memory lane on how he founded the party and the origin of its 19 years old leadership crisis.
“I founded the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) and it was officially registered by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on 22nd June 2002. This was after two previous failed attempts in 1996 and 1998, to found a truly progressive national political party that will principally address, promote and protect the welfare and interests of Nigeria’s diverse ethnic nationalities. APGA held so much promise and prospects in Nigeria’s democratic space.
“The party’s first participation in a general election in Nigeria in 2003 was phenomenal, in spite of the massive manipulation of the electoral process of that year by the ruling Peoples Democratic Party government, APGA came third out of 30 political parties that participated in that election. The party formed government in Anambra State. It won three Federal constituency seats in Anambra, Imo and Bayelsa States and States Assembly seats across the country. APGA was poised to consolidate its gains and record substantial victories in subsequent elections,” he said.
He recalled that on 15th December 2004, when APGA was a little over two years old, a gang of dissidents led by Chief Victor Umeh was sponsored to commence leadership crisis in the party. “The Federal Government provided for these dissidents the support of INEC, all the security agencies, the Judiciary and other logistics to decimate APGA. The legal tussle that ensued lasted for eight years from 2005 to 2012. I threw in the towel when it became clear to me that the forces against me were overwhelming. Many of my associates joined me to form the United Progressive Party (UPP) in 2012. Others remained in APGA to continue to fight for the soul of the party.”
He noted that the most prominent of those that believed in the vision and mission of APGA that stayed back to fight for the recovery of the soul of APGA is Chief Edozie Njoku, the founding national vice chairman, South East of APGA in 2002 to 2003.
“Fortuitously, Chief Edozie Njoku was overwhelmingly elected as the National Chairman of the party held at Owerri, Imo State on 31st May 2019. Chief Victor Oye who had earlier notified INEC according to the clear provision of the Electoral Act that the elective national convention of APGA would hold at Owerri on 31st May 2019, suddenly abandoned Owerri convention and conducted a parallel convention at Awka, Anambra State on the same date. The APGA leadership crisis continued to rage,” he said.
He said in the final analysis, after various encounters at all levels of the judiciary, the Supreme Court of Nigeria on 24th March 2023, resolved the APGA leadership crisis in favour of Chief Edozie Njoku as the national chairman of the party.
He added that the certified true copy of the 42-page judgement of the Supreme Court and the enrolled order to give efficacy to its order have been served on INEC, same have also been published in the news media.
