Fresh Blood

And years after the protracted sojourn in crises, stakeholders and members of APGA appear to have taken a decisive step by injecting some entirely “unaffected blood” into the party’s leadership profile at its recent national convention held in Awka, the Anmabra State capital, on June 6.

According to the stakeholders, this move became imperative in order to restructure and reform the party in the wake of the new political realignments in the country. They argued that if the All Progressives Congress could unseat the PDP, there was genuine hope that APGA would soon reinforce and make a bold statement at the federal level in the country, beyond the current regional impact it has made so far.

Notable among those elected as APGA leaders for the next four years at the occasion were a former special Adviser on special duties to the former governor of Abia State, Dr. Orji Uzor Kalu, Dr. Victor Ike Oye, who emerged as the national chairman, and APGA’s governorship candidate in the April 11 election in Nasarawa State and former Minister of Information, Mr. labaram Maku, who was elected secretary. Both Oye and Maku are veteran journalists and seasoned administrators with impressive track record and integrity. Emeka Ozumba, who spoke to THISDAY after the convention was full of hope and assured that the governor would succeed in his responsibility to instil discipline and stability in the party and refocus it, just as Odumegwu-Ojuwku did during his tenure as the APGA BoT chairman.

Ozumba equally assured that Obiano would fit in and step into the vacuum left by the late Ikemba of Nnewi, pointing out that according to the tripod, Odumegwu-Ojukwu anointed Peter Obi, who subsequently brought a lot of development and stability to the party, just as Obi himself anointed Obiano, who is now wearing the big shoes of his political forebears. chance to test its own strength and gauge its overall appeal across the country. “We came back from the polls with the realisation that this great party has not lost its basic appeal; that the alternative model of governance we offer is still the clear preference of the larger spectrum of Nigerians.”

The governor stated, “The ebb and tide of our nation’s history has swept aside the old political arrangement and opened a door for a new political order. If my reading of Nigeria’s political temperature is right, there is no better time for our party to attain its manifest destiny and fulfil its age-old promise than now. Our dear country needs the light of inspiring leadership and the rays of a wise opposition. This generation has a responsibility to provide both in equal measure.

“So, as we settle down to the business of the day, let us bear in mind that Nigeria expects great things from us. Let us remember that we are gathered here today for the greater good of Nigeria. Let us remember that our country comes first.

“Under my watch, we shall always strive to lay down the right fundamentals and ensure a strict adherence to the rules. We shall pull the levers of purposeful leadership with a view to ensuring the emergence of a robust internal democracy.

“There will always be a fair attempt to ensure that no stakeholder is left behind and that no political wound is left to fester for too long. We shall build a strong political family where petty grievances will not be allowed to shape our overall approach to the weighty issues of the state.”

In his acceptance speech, the new chairman, Dr Victor Ike Oye, commended Umeh’s leadership for its steadfastness and pledged that his leadership would reconcile all genuinely aggrieved members of the party so as to reposition it to play the role of a formidable opposition party in the country.

Oye said in the next four years APGA would take over the nation’s presidency and urged members of the party to give the new leadership all the necessary support to achieve that ambition, saying that in addition to entrenching internal democracy in the party, “every member would be availed equal opportunity to realise his or her political ambition.”

Earlier in his address, the immediate past national chairman, Chief Victor Umeh, said his leadership of the party in the past eight years had helped in building it as a formidable political party to reckon with in the nation’s politics. He urged those he might have offended in the course of his leadership to forgive him as it was not deliberate but part of “the breaking of the egg so as to make an omelette.”

Umeh announced that his leadership had left N40 million in the party’s bank account for the new leadership to enable it start on a firm footing.

The convention attracted delegates from across the country, including party stalwarts like Dr. Alex Oti, Ambassador Bianca Ojukwu, Princess Chinwe Nwaebili, Professor Joe Asike, Hon Oseloka Obaze, and Hon Dubem Obaze.