Protesters Flood APGA National Secretariat, Push Against Planned Imposition Of Candidates

Yesterday, May 24th, 2021, a group of protesters crowded the premises of All Progressive Grand Alliance, APGA, national secretariat in Abuja. The protesters who identified themselves as members of the Save APGA Movement had one problem – the planned Imposition of a candidate for the forthcoming APGA primary election billed for June 23rd, 2021.

The protesters, chanting solidarity songs, carrying banners and placards with different inscriptions such as “We Say No To Imposition of Candidate On APGA members”, “No to Godfatherism in Anambra State” etc. They claimed that there are some self-appointed godfathers in Anambra State have already concluded plans to impose their stooge and candidate of their choice on the party faithful ahead of November Gubernatorial election in the State; the group cried for the NWC of the party to save the future of the party by resisting every attempt to coerce them to Imposition of candidates on the party for whatever reason, noting that the party will fail should they allow such to happen.

The convener of the group, Comrade Chuks Okafor, a former House of Assembly Aspirant on the platform of APGA faulted the plot saying it’s undemocratic and a plot by some cabals to kill the party; he reminded the National Working Committee of APGA the consequences of such actions.

Comrade Okafor who talked tough against emerging Godfathers in the politics of APGA and Anambra State raised concern over the silence of APGA leaders in the face of current dangers;

They fear that this imposition would “open the door for mass defection ahead of 2021 Gubernatorial election in Anambra State, the time to save APGA is now; Imposition will kill the party.

Any candidate who is afraid of the primary election is unfit to represent the political party in the main election; Okafor, called on the National Leader and National Chairman of APGA to save the party by ensuring a free, transparent, and credible primary election.

The group demanded the APGA Ward Chairmen, Secretaries, Youth and women leaders to be made automatic delegates to ensure utmost transparency.

Governor Willie Obiano and Ozonkpu Victor Oye must not allow the APGA party to collapse under their watch, now is the time to save APGA, Okafor said.

Parts of the Statements from the Save APGA Movement Reads:

Democracy as we know it is a system of government that allows the people the opportunity to choose their leader in a manner that is free, fair, and devoid of coercion, intimidation, and corruption.

In our clime, democracy is put to practice through the instrumentality of political parties, which aggregates the impulses of her members into a set of ideologies that constitutes the basic architecture of the model of government the party wishes to operate if elected to power. And as democrats in this clime, we belong to the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA).

See the moment the US banned election riggers in Kogi and elsewhere

As true and thorough members of APGA, we are committed to saving our party from a clear and present danger that stares her bluntly in the face. For us, we consider this a solemn obligation and duty in order to secure our political heritage, future, and the labours and sweats of our founders.

Just a few weeks back, a former National Chairman of the party and an incumbent member of the BOT of the party publicly endorsed an aspirant in the said election. While delivering his speech at the endorsement ceremony, he publicly proclaimed that he was instructed to endorse the said aspirant by the incumbent governor of Anambra state who also doubles as the National leader of the party. To date, that public proclamation is yet to be denied by the governor and his media minders.

Then some few days ago, a stakeholder of the party in Awka South LGA gathered party men and women in another endorsement ceremony for the same candidate and to our surprise publicly stated that the National Chairman of the party had told him in the presence of a serving commissioner in the state that the said aspirant has already been decided to fly the flag of the party at the forthcoming gubernatorial election. Again, to date, neither the National Chairman nor his media minders have denied that very weighty allegation.

In other words, both the National Leader and the National Chairman have already decided the outcome of a process that is yet to happen. This, in our sincere opinion, is an affront to democracy and an insult to all party faithful.

Now, if the flag bearer of the party has already been decided, why then are we deceiving the world that we are organizing a primary election?

Why are we allowing our fellow party men to waste their hard-earned resources campaigning when the result of the primary election is already manipulated and tended to favour an aspirant even before the primary proper?

“Why is the Governor and National Chairman bent on fielding an aspirant that is scared of going through a free and fair primary election? Can a footballer who’s scared of a friendly match be the best bet for the Champions League?

Should they succeed in manipulating the primary, do they think that they can equally manipulate the main election in November?

If they disenfranchise the party faithful at the grassroots, who will canvass votes for the said aspirant when the main election comes?

Can a man who is not able to stand and convince his family (in this case his party) of his viability, be able to convince the entire state?

Why this arrant and monumental display of desperation by both our leaders and the said aspirant? Are they executing a paid job to kill this party?

Too many questions bug our minds. We note sadly that, it was this same lack of transparency and fairness that costed our party victory in Imo State in the last election, and led to the now-famous cliché “refund and resign.” We cannot allow that to happen.

The APGA National Vice Chairman South, Chief Uche Okogbue alongside the National Youth Leader of APGA, Comrade Anselem Nebeife addressed the protesters on behalf of the National Chairman of the All Progressives Grand Alliance, party, Ozonkpu Victor Oye, they assured the protesters of a level playground while acknowledging most of the claims made by the protesters, saying the party leadership would investigate all and ensure that actions capable of affecting the party’s chance of winning the coming Anambra election are addressed.

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