‘You’re at liberty to exit’ — APGA founder accuses Soludo of working against party unity

Chekwas Okorie, founder and pioneer national chairman of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), has accused Chukwuma Soludo, governor of Anambra, of working against the unity of the party.

Speaking with journalists in Abuja on Tuesday, Okorie claimed that Soludo vowed never to accept Edozie Njoku as the national chairman of the APGA.

THE CRISIS

Njoku has been in a leadership tussle with Victor Oye, the factional chairman of APGA.

In October 2021, the supreme court affirmed an appeal court judgment recognising Oye as the national chairman of the party.

Following protests that trailed the judgment, the supreme court ruled that Njoku was not a party to the judgment.

In March 2023, a five-man panel of the apex court ruled that in the 2021 judgment, Njoku’s name was erroneously written as Oye.

Mohammed Lawal, who read the judgment, said the court has the power to review its verdict and correct an “accidental slip or error” when it is brought to its attention.

In reviewing the 2021 judgment, the court expunged the part where Oye’s name was written as the national chairman of the party.

The court delivered judgment following a motion that was brought before it by Njoku.

However, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) refused to recognise Njoku as the leader of the party despite the court order.

Last week, the electoral umpire finally bowed to pressure and confirmed Njoku as the APGA national chairman.

‘SOLUDO BACKING OYE’

The APGA founder alleged that the Anambra governor is working against the unity of the party by not recognising Njoku as the national chairman of the party.

The party chieftain said Soludo has “peddled the information among his close allies and the rebellious APGA faction working with him” that Njoku will be removed as the chairman of the party.

“He further assured his faction of APGA that INEC would without delay withdraw the recognition given to chief Njoku and his national working committee,” the APGA founder said.

“Professor Chukwuma Soludo had boasted to me directly that he would use everything within his powers as the governor of Anambra state to ensure that Chief Edozie Njoku would never be the national chairman of APGA.

“He vowed that if for any reason he failed to stop Njoku from becoming national chairman, he would resign from APGA within 24 hours and that APGA would cease to exist as a political party.

“At that point, I took a strong exception to his boast. I told him that since he was not God who made APGA possible 22 years ago, when it was registered by INEC as a political party, he lacked the power to determine the survival of APGA.

“Notwithstanding the altercation between Professor Soludo and myself, Chief Edozie Njoku and I have individually and separately extended a hand of fellowship to him for peace to reign in APGA.

“Many well-meaning leaders from across the country, upon realising that it was Professor Soludo who was the stumbling block to a peaceful APGA, reached out to him several times. He remained obstinate and unyielding.

“Having secured an all-round victory for APGA in three different courts, from the supreme court, back to the trial court up to the appeal court as narrated in this address, Chief Edozie Njoku, the authentic national chairman of APGA, has demonstrated maturity and magnanimity in victory.

“He has seized every opportunity both in private and public domains to stretch his hand of fellowship to Professor Soludo and all members of APGA, irrespective of factional inclination, that the time to unite and rebuild the party has come.”

Okorie said, “Soludo and his cohorts are at liberty to exit APGA and join any party of their choice”.

“They will not be the first to take that option, and they will not be the last to do so,” he said.

The party founder called on party members to ask President Bola Tinubu to prevail on Soludo to desist from actions capable of destroying the party.