APGA-NWC Members Fault Obi’s Reconciliation Move As party fixes Anambra primaries for August 26 By Onyebuchi Ezigbo Eighteen members of the National Working Committee of the All Progressives Grand Alliance, (APGA) have expressed dismay over the reconciliation moves between the governor of Anambra State, Mr. Peter Obi, and the embattled national chairman of the party, Chief Victor Umeh. The complaint by the 18 NWC members came on the heels of the approval of a time table for the primary election for the nomination of the party’s candidate last Tuesday by APGA leadership led by Umeh. The timetable released by the National Secretary of APGA, Alhaji Sani Shinkafi, said the governorship election primaries will hold on August 26, while appeals arising from the state congress will take place on August 28. However, a statement issued by the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Bernard Akoma, said he and other NWC members were not carried along in the arrangement being made to reconcile the party and as such they would not be part of its outcome. “Our position remains that any peace move that does not address the anomalies in the party which is the credibility of its internal mechanisms like the national conventions will still amount to delaying the doom days, “ he said. Akoma said rather than dissipate energy on a grave yard peace move, Obi and Umeh should obey the guidelines of the Independent National Electoral Commission , (INEC), by insisting that the party adheres strictly to the letters of its constitution. According to Akoma, the only way to rescue APGA from possible extermination is to ensure that the views of a reasonable number of its members are accommodated.“We the 18 members of the National Working Committee of the All Progressives Grand Alliance, (APGA), have noticed with dismay recent purported reconciliation romance on APGA crisis between the executive governor of Anambra State and the embattled national chairman of our party, Victor Umeh, filtering into our ears. “It is our belief that for any major decision to be taken in the party, a quorum must be formed and views of a reasonable number of its members should be accommodated. He said the APGA challenge has gone beyond a chummy relationship between Obi and his brother Umeh, saying it is about addressing the pertinent issue that borders on very survival of the party. Speaking on the various judicial interventions in the APGA crisis, the spokesman said though the members have submitted to the ruling of the Enugu Appeal Court, they are disheartened that the ruling merely left the party bare for more challenges as it dwelt only on the locus standi of the complainant. He warned that should APGA win the forthcoming elections in Anambra State, opponents of the party will have enough legal ground to challenge it because the party’s candidates cannot claim to have been validly nominated by duly elected organ of the party. thisdaylive/articles/apga-nwc-members-fault-obi-s-reconciliation-move/154661/
Posted on: Mon, 29 Jul 2013 09:45:26 +0000
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