By Chibuzo N. Ziggy Azike
For those who might not know, APGA is the All
Progressives Grand Alliance, a political party founded by Chief Chekwas Okorie
and Dim Chukwuemeka Odimegwu Ojukwu in collaboration with other prominent Igbo
sons, some of who never carried the card of any political party including APGA,
but generously provided resources and logistics to ensure that “The Igbos also
have our own party”; just like the Yoruba’s had AD and the Hausa’s APP”; that
was the sentimental basis for the founding and establishment of APGA; and its
success was instantaneous as Peter Obi won the election to be Governor of
Anambra State in 2003, though he had to go through the courts to retrieve his
mandate in a very tortuous journey which took the better part of three years to
accomplish.
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| *Chief Ziggy Azike |
I could have titled this piece “The
betrayal Of APGA” or “The betrayal Of Chekwas” or “The Betrayal
Of Ojukwu” or even “The Betrayal Of Bianca” or, and why
not; “The
Betrayal Of Ziggy”; because this article is to tell a tale of betrayals
by a trio whom history thrust the fate of APGA into their care at a time like
this and who have proceeded so wantonly, so prodigally and so treacherously to
dissipate, abuse, waste, decimate and completely decapitate the legacy of
Chekwas Okorie, Ikemba Odumegwu-Ojukwu; Professor Ben Obumselu, Engr. Arthur
Eze and the legion of great Igbo patriots who invested in sundry ways into
building the now wasted monument and institution called APGA.
The trio of Victor Umeh, Willie
Obiano and Victor Oye are today holding exalted positions in our land courtesy
of the valiant sacrificial labours of our “hero’s past” because the banner of
APGA was used to foist them to prominence having been raised by APGA without
any investments on their part; they like all prodigals care less about the
heirlooms and the historical significance of sustaining a legacy; to them, APGA
is a loot to be apportioned, shared balkanised and gobbled up in a rambunctious
sleazy feast; to them; APGA has become a cash cow to be milked, to them APGA
the hen that laid the golden eggs must also be menu on the dinner table tonight
all because their tomorrow must be now.
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| *Chief Victor Oye and Gov Obiano |
How did APGA get to this sorry
pass? How do I start the story? Let’s try to put things in context; have you
listened to the audio recording of the meeting Governor Obiano had with Ifeanyi
Ubah moderated by Dr. Cletus Ibeto? That tape went viral; and you would have
heard Obiano pleading with Ifeanyi Ubah to deploy his machinery and support his
second term election. Obiano unequivocally and in very clear succinct terms
assured Ubah that he, Obiano, will support Ubah as candidate of APGA for the
Anambra South Senate seat. Now, how did Obiano honour that solemn pledge after
Ifeanyi kept his side of the bargain and Obiano achieved his now “famous”
21/21? I will tell you. Obiano knowing full well that he had made a commitment
to Ubah, now went and encouraged the widow of our founder, HE Ambassador Bianca
Ojukwu to contest for the same Anambra South Senate seat under APGA. Then this
serial betrayer and amoral traitor proceeded to receive all manner of
inducement. The long and short of it is that today, neither Bianca nor Ifeanyi
is the candidate of APGA for that seat.
The story of the auctioning of APGA
cannot be fully told in any single newspaper article. But in trying to put
things in context, it is important to say that at the time Governor Obiano
decided to install Chief Victor Oye as National Chairman of APGA, Oye had never
been a member of our party, prior to that time. Oye had been my friend and I
knew he was not one of us; but as we have only one Governor who triples as
party National Leader and Chairman of our Board of Trustees, we deferred to him
to produce anybody he desired as party National Chairman because his
re-election was the most important item in our party’s calendar and we knew
that he needed to feel secure and assured of the National Chairman to warrantee
his nomination and re-election bid. Some of us who had noticed Oye’s
predisposition and predilection to corrupt practices had told Obiano that he
should consider letting Oye go once his own re-election was accomplished, but little
did we know that Obiano perished the thought as he needed someone of Oyes rare
amorality for the bazaar he was planning for the 2019 election season. We will
come back to Oye presently.
I mentioned a trio at the beginning of this essay, yet so far I have not
narrated the role of Victor Umeh who today is a Senator of the Federal Republic
of Nigeria and who is the immediate past National Chairman of APGA, the Master
Puppeteer who manipulates Obiano and Oye to do his bidding, particularly as he
has convinced Obiano that he (Obiano) is
a prime beneficiary of his artifice as he made Obiano Governor when he, Victor
Umeh was National Chairman of APGA. Victor Umeh considers himself the kingmaker
of APGA and the “agbawo dike izu” of
APGA.
He is also the messenger of doom
for APGA; it was Victor Umeh who brought the information to some spiritual and
temporal leaders of Imo
State that he had chosen
for Imo people the person who will become Governor under APGA. Yes, it was
Victor Umeh that became the Chief Auctioneer.
It is trite news that in the run up
to the forthcoming 2019, elections in Imo State more than 25 persons showed
interest to contest the Governorship election under the APGA; very early in the
day we had told the leadership of the party that with so many aspirants, the
only way to avoid rancour and ensure victory was to work out a process of
consensus where the aspirants would by themselves produce a candidate.
The leadership, starting from our
National Leader, Governor Obiano, past National Chairman and Master
Puppeteer/Chief Auctioneer Senator Victor Umeh and National Chairman Chief
Victor Oye did not want this; they jointly and severally mouthed “free and fair
primaries”; alas what they actually wanted was chaos, and a bazaar where they
would eventually auction the tickets to the highest bidders; so they started
what Fela would have called “Government
Magic”.
They started selling delegates
forms, at N10,000 (ten thousand Naira) per delegate for respective elections;
thus if you wanted to be a delegate for the House of Assembly; House of
Representatives; Senatorial and Governorship primaries you must cough out a
total of N40,000 yes; (forty thousand Naira); we had made APGA a solid grassroots
brand, and there was a deluge and the party raked in billions of Naira from the
thousands of prospective delegates; then the “national leadership” sent out
feelers to aspirants, if you want your delegates list to be used (you know that
in Imo State where Rochas had not paid workers and pensioners, the poor masses
whose shops and markets had also been demolished could not possibly purchase
the forms; so aspirants paid for them); you were approached to come and pay
humongous bribes; the auction was on.
After collecting so much money in
all manner of currencies from diverse aspirants, the Leadership of the party
who had promised “free and fair primaries” started orchestrating confusion and
tension and deliberately aborted the “primaries”. Nothing held because having
collected money from so many bidders there was confusion as to who was to be
delivered.
So there was no primary election
for Governorship and other positions in Imo State
under APGA. It was mayhem galore.
In Anambra State the story was a bit different because “primaries of a sort”
was held in many constituencies and when many incumbents of the State House of
Assembly lost out, and Certificates of Return were issued to the winners; they
promptly started collecting signatures for the impeachment of Governor Obiano
who all along was holidaying in his favourite fleshpots somewhere, he quickly
issued instructions to Oye to give Certificates of Return to all the incumbent
Members of the Anambra House of Assembly because they threatened to impeach
him.
Today there are multiples of
persons holding Certificates of Return for the same constituency in Imo and Anambra States.
The reality is that the trio of Obiano, Umeh and Oye have totally, completely
destroyed the APGA brand in Imo State; APGA’S promise has been shattered and
demolished; the APGA which Imo people prayed will come and restore their land
just as NCNC and NPP did is no more; the N-APGA which was a response by the
Union of APGA Governorship aspirants in Imo State is struggling to revive a
highly demoralised populace; in Anambra, APGA will surely lose constituencies;
if anybody under APGA wins, it will be because of the individual's rating and
efforts, the brand APGA has been damaged and no longer represents “Nkea bu nkanyi”; “this is our own”; Obiano, Umeh and Oye have managed to destroy in
one fell swoop, a legacy built by Chekwas Okorie, Peter Obi, Ikemba Nnewi, and
all other Igbo patriots who invested integrity, goodwill, sacrificial leadership,
good governance, patriotism and dedication to high ideals in directing the
people.
Just as APGA was going national,
having won a House of Representative Seat in Taraba, elections in Kaduna, FCT, and Bayelsa States,
the demon spirit of Judas Iscariot captivated and enraptured the leadership of
APGA. Today neither Obiano, Umeh or Oye can safely step into Imo State without
the highest level of security as Imo people hold them responsible for
undermining and truncating their dreams and hope in a better and greater Imo
State from May 29, 2019.
I weep for APGA.
*Chief Chibuzo N. Ziggy Azike is a member of the Member of the Board of Trustees APGA and Governorship
Aspirant
