From Fred Itua, Abuja
National chairman of All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Mr. Victor Oye, has dismissed claims that the party is now facttionalised. Instead, he said those claiming to be authentic leaders of the party are being sponsored ahead of the November governorship election in Anambra State.
On Tuesday, Jude Okeke named himself as the acting chairman of APGA, a situation that has since generated controversies in the party.
But addressing newsmen yesterday, Oye said the crisis should not taken seriously. Instead, he called on security agencies to arrest those he described as imposters in order to send a strong message to political jobbers.
He said: “Anybody who saw what happened yesterday will know that it was a charade. It happens every four years. It happens once governorship election is coming in Anambra. Those people were a rented crowd. I don’t know those faces. There is a procedure in removing me as chairman.
“You can’t remove me without me conveying a meeting. That action they took is null and void. If you’re organising a NEC meeting, where were the leaders of the party? For you to convey a NEC meeting, you’ve to give INEC at least a 21-day notice. Those people are imposters. We are focused on the primaries in Anambra and winning election in November.
“We can’t be distracted. The screening committee did their job without any interference. They submitted their report. Whoever is aggrieved, there’s a way of addressing the issues. Not a single member of APGA was at the venue of the press conference where they claimed to have suspended me.
“It appears that the crisis they cause in APGA is becoming notorious. Security agencies should deal with the faces behind this charade to cause crisis in APGA. They need to be arrested and prosecuted.
“This is a threat to our national security. This issue has to be handled without delay. We are happy with our performance. APGA is not a local champion. Gradually, by 2023, APGA will win more governorship seats.”