“Nobody can take away APGA from the Ikemba; the party is one of Ojukwu’s legacies and Bianca is part and parcel of Ikemba.”
Magnus Eze, Enugu
The frosty relationship between Bianca, wife of the late Igbo leader, Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu, and the leadership of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) may have been resolved.
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Daily Sun gathered that a powerful delegation, led by the presidential candidate of the party, Gen. John Gbor (retd), comprising his running mate, Chief Jerry Chukwueke and Senator Victor Umeh, stormed the Enugu home of the Ojukwus, last Friday, and begged Mrs. Ojukwu for forgiveness.
Others in the delegation included former Central Bank of Nigeria governor, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, wife of Anambra State governor, Mrs. Ebelechukwu Obiano, as well as the governorship candidates of the party in Nasarawa, Plateau and Benue among other chieftains.
It became glaring that all was not well with APGA when Ojukwu’s widow, who is also a member of the Board of Trustees (BOT) stayed away from the party’s national campaign flag-off, at the Ekwueme Square Awka, Anambra State, last Thursday.
Her grievances emanated from the conduct of the party’s primary elections, where she could not secure the senatorial ticket for Anambra South District. Since then, she has been in the vanguard for
the removal of the party’s National Chairman, Chief Victor Oye, whom she claimed committed grave injustices towards the party’s aspirants, during the controversial primary elections.
Former National Secretary of the party, Alhaji Sani Shinkafi, who confirmed the visit, described their meeting as fruitful and said all the issues have been resolved.
He said: “Nobody can take away APGA from the Ikemba; the party is one of Ojukwu’s legacies and Bianca is part and parcel of Ikemba. So, there is no big deal; everything has been resolved. We went there and our meeting went very well, and she will never leave APGA because those who want her to leave the party are new comers in the party.
“She had to listen to us because we suffered together with her husband; when we battled Chekwas Okorie. She can’t allow her suffering to be in vain.”
However, a source at the meeting, who would not want to be mentioned, said the late Igbo leader’s wife poured out her heart before agreeing to join hands to preserve the party, but, insisted that the national chairman must go.
“Her position remained the same in terms of taking the party forward; it is a joint project, but, in terms of the national chairman staying on, it won’t work. He must resign for bringing the party to disrepute,” the source quoted her to have said.