From Obinna Odogwu, Awka
The crisis rocking the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) has deepened following the emergence of the factional National Chairman of the party, Chief Edozie Njoku, as the governorship candidate of the party for the November 6 election.
Njoku emerged as the consensus candidate at the party’s primary poll attended by its delegates at Finotel Hotel, Awka, the state capital, Tuesday morning.
This came less than a week after a faction of the party led by Chief Victor Oye elected Prof Chukwuma Soludo as its governorship candidate for the same election.
Although he hails from Imo State, Njoku said that the relevant laws of the country permit him to contest the election considering that he had contested to represent Onitsha North and South in the House of Representatives in 2003 and 2007 general elections respectively on the APGA platform.
‘There was an ex parte order stopping us as the authentic group from carrying out our primaries. It was a 7-day order and it has expired. They are all lined up in the courts at the moment. We were proactive enough to have organised our primary this morning,’ Njoku said.
‘And somehow, the party saw it in their wisdom to have a consensus. It was only one aspirant that refused; they said that I should emerge as the candidate of the party for the elections; that we have a lot of journeys to go particularly regarding the aspect of Oye’s candidate for the party having a very big problem.
‘So, we need to organise ourselves and do what is right for APGA. We thank God that we have been able to conclude our primaries and I have emerged as the candidate of the party.’
Reacting to the reported dissolution of his group and that of Oye by a National Working Committee (NWC) led by Jude Okeke, Njoku said: “Jude Okeke, I never regarded him that much. In this Anambra State, he came up from nowhere on the 15th of June and said that he was the National Chairman; that his faction, Oye’s faction and my faction; I hate calling myself a faction but it’s just for you to understand it.
‘That Oye’s faction and my faction have been dissolved. You can’t do that because you need the two NECs to seat to do that. If he came up on the 15th of June, he needs a 21-day notice and he doesn’t have that. That one is already dead on arrival.
‘But I heard that Oye, in his usual way, has rushed up to the court to get an order against him. I don’t see that as necessary but if he did, it’s all good. But the thing is that I’m really in a battle because Oye did a purported convention without delegates.
‘And we did a party convention properly and we are in court. Eventually, this will come to an end in the court.
‘APGA has a very big chance. Don’t worry. PDP has got their enormous problems. APC has got the one even bigger than all. They are 15 or 16 in number. PDP is steaming, their pot is boiling.
‘The case in APGA is over. We don’t have internal problems. It is now a mandamus impelling INEC to recognise me as the National Chairman. I don’t have a case with Oye.’
Also speaking, the state chairman of the faction in Anambra, Freedom Henry Okwuchukwu, said that the party had met all the requirements for the poll and that they were ready to face it.
‘We have met all the requirements and by the grace of God, when the mandamus is given, everything will be resolved in due time.
‘APGA will not lose Anambra. 16 years of APGA in Anambra have been great. If you look around you will see massive developments. Peter Obi was there. You know what he did. Now Obiano is here and he has done marvellously well,’ Okwuchukwu said.