Geoffrey Anyanwu, Awka
Embattled National Chairman of APGA, Chief Victor Oye has warned that the party would not tolerate attempts to derail the party.
We learnt that you ignored court orders and held the Awka convention?
They are unnecessary distractions; worried about what? Are we not used to it? Every election every charlatan will rear their ugly, useless heads. The truth of the matter is that if there were injunctions, nobody severed me with any injunction, but we have a judgment from Ibadan court, final judgment by a court of competent jurisdiction directing us to conduct the convention on or before June 12, 2019, which we complied with absolutely. So, the issue of injunction should not arise because you cannot compare injunction with final judgment, no comparison of any sort. Those people are ignoramuses and that’s why they are behaving the way they are doing. Our convention was duly conducted in accordance with the law, in accordance with the constitution and in accordance with all tenets of democracy.
Abia State chairman of APGA, Nnanna Ukaegbu said the party risks not fielding candidates for Anambra 2021 and the 2023 elections; with what is happening; are you not worried?
The man you are calling Ukaegbu has never been chairman of APGA; his tenure elapsed in 2014, so, whose interest is he representing? APGA went through congresses: ward congresses, local government congresses and state congresses and people were elected to run the party in Abia State. So, Ukaegbu is a meddlesome interloper as far as the party is concerned and he is not recognised by any organ of the party in whatever capacity.
So, what about the convention said to have taken place in Owerri where parallel leadership allegedly emerged same day you held yours?
What happened in Owerri was a sham amounting to intellectual absurdity. Number one, who is Edozie? Edozie or whatever he calls himself is not recognised by any organ of the party, he is not an officer of the party. How could they meet in Owerri without following due process of law and the constitution of the party? You know the process of holding a national convention is very cumbersome, it’s not something charlatans gather in Owerri and begin to talk, two, three persons, it’s not national convention. In convention, you have to write INEC and give them 21-day notice, then convene a meeting of NEC that will approve the attendance and guidelines for the convention. We did all that, then, the convention was held monitored by INEC. High-powered delegation from INEC led by a National Commissioner, Prof. Anthonio Simbile and three other directors, it’s not child’s play. So, if the charlatans gather in Owerri and begin to make noise, even I read one text that Edozie wrote to somebody, he asked the person why didn’t you congratulate me, the person said, congratulate you for what? He said congratulate me on my election as national chairman, the man said which national chairman; don’t make fun of yourself and he said sorry, I am pulling your legs. Is that man not a stupid man doing this kind of nonsense; who are those behind him? I am happy you are a journalist, you know the truth, you are just asking me question. You know the truth, were you not in Anambra during the convention, you saw what happened?
What will the party do to those who held that convention in Owerri?
It’s not what I will discuss here, but where are they, are they still talking? However, it’s a free society, anybody can say or do anything he likes, but at the end of the day there are consequences and you know it. The party will not tolerate any kind of stupid actions from people who are not members of the party. The Edozie you are talking about I never knew him as an APGA man, he has not participated in any activity of the party; so who is he? He is an infiltrator and persona non-grata.
However, the party faithful should remain firm. We have been elected to run the party for another four years and we are preparing on how to launch our programmes for second term, we are not distracted at all. We are focused and committed to our goals.