2019: APGA breaks into 3 factions

LESS than three months to the general elections, the All Progressives Grand Alliance, (APGA) has been broken into three factions.

A new faction, the Authentic APGA addressed a press briefing in Abuja yesterday.

An indication that the national leadership of the party led by Honourable Victor Oye was under threat emerged last week as a faction, the New APGA pronounced his leadership dissolved last week in Abuja.

Addressing newsmen yesterday, the duo of Chief Jerry Obasi and Alhaji Abdullahi Musa, national chairman and secretary, respectively of the Authentic APGA accused the Honourable Oye led a national working committee of impunity, lack of transparency and mismanagement of the party finances. They equally accused the Anambra state governor and chairman of the APGA Board of Trustees, Willie Obiano of anti-party activity over his recent adoption of All Progressives Congress (APC), presidential candidate, President Muhammadu Buhari as the opposition party candidate at a public function.

“You are no doubt aware of the various issues that have bedevilled the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) in recent times, especially after the party primary elections. Accusations of bribery amid non-conduct of election trailed the nomination of candidates for the 2019 poll. In all these developments, it is obvious that APGA is no longer run as a political party, but as a private limited liability company.

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“Having approached this crossroad, we are of the opinion that the situation calls for a radical solution. We have to decide whether to continue on the evil trajectory of impunity and political villainy or adopt a strategic template to guarantee the revival of the fundamental ideas that propelled the formation of APGA. Based on the foregoing, we have come to the inevitable conclusion that we must come together to recalibrate APGA in line with the dictates of our shared values and ideological purity of being our brothers’ keepers indeed.

“We must purge APGA of political wickedness and selfishness, particularly the myopia that made the party speak from both sides of the mouth regarding its future and preparedness for the nation’s electoral environment. The original and foundational ideology of APGA is that it should be inclusive and guarantee the rights of members to express themselves in line with democratic principles. It is obvious from prevailing circumstances that APGA has derailed and lost the moral compass that endears it to marginalised Nigerians.

“There is an urgent need, therefore, for loyal and genuine members of the party to embark on a programme that would bring back the party to the original ideas. This programme would involve the reconciliation and unification of all those that fought through thick and thin to ensure that APGA serves the purpose of political emancipation of all oppressed people.”

The new faction as part of its resolutions demanded the resignation of Victor Oye as national chairman and the Anambra state governor, Willie Obiano, as chairman, Board of Trustees of the party.

“As first in the line of pragmatic steps leading to the recovery of APGA, we announce to you the birth of Authentic All Progressives Grand Alliance (AAPGA). We are committed to retaking and recovering our party from buccaneers and charlatans, whose ideology is to do merchandise with the collective will of the people.

Under this new beginning of APGA, we intend to reach out to all those who have suffered injustice, impunity and deprivation with a view to refocusing the party in line with the original ideology and principles.

We are determined to ensure that APGA should not suffer extinction in the hands of political travellers, especially those who are without APGA membership cards yet masquerading as leaders at the highest echelon of the party.

The path we have chosen is by no means an easy one, but we are resolved that in order to address the series of injustice, marginalisation and exclusion in the party, we have to confront these internal enemies of APGA, who are blinded by the pursuit of vanity and filthy lucre.”

APGA chairman, Honourable Oye in his reaction said there was no faction in the party.

“There is no faction in APGA. Anybody fanning the embers of hate in APGA will be dealt as a dissident.”