The All
Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) at its national convention held in
Awka, Anambra State on Thursday February 10, 2011 announced its
decision to adopt President Goodluck Jonathan as its presidential
candidate – although Mr. Jonathan is running on the platform of the
ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP).
Speaking about
this, the national chairman of APGA, Victor Umeh, said Mr. Jonathan has
proved to be a good friend of the Igbo in doing many things to benefit
the South East zone, thereby leaving his party no choice than to
endorse him for president. He said this happened after extensive
discussions with stakeholders in the party.
“The president is
our friend; he has a listening ear and he relates well with us. Under
him, the Niger Bridge is getting attention, the Enugu airport has been
upgraded, and our brothers can do business again due to the lifting of
ban on importation of certain items,” Mr. Umeh said.
He said his party
had to adopt somebody since no one picked its presidential form. “Since
then we’ve been involved in discussions with members and we came to a
clear appreciation that there’s only one person APGA would support and
bring him to this convention to ratify or reject,” Mr Umeh said,
adding that the
party had to move with the rest of Nigerians and thus needed to add its
own momentum to what he called the national voice.
“What’s important
at the end of the day is the way any human being relates with the rest
of the people. We’re going to do what is right and we have no apologies
to anybody,” Mr Umeh said, pointing out that the APGA support was only
for Mr. Jonathan and urged members of the party to vote en masse for
the rest of APGA’s candidates for other elective positions.
“We’re contesting
all the other elections vigorously and we want our supporters to return
all our other candidates. We have not merged with anybody,” Mr Umeh
stressed.
‘There’s a secret agenda’
But the adoption of
Mr. Jonathan appears to have sent alarming signals to some people in
the PDP who accused the party of having a secret agenda.
Chudi Ofodile, PDP
senatorial candidate for Anambra Central, accused APGA of deceiving the
electorate into thinking the party and PDP are one.
According to him,
the party had no business with PDP and even though he welcomed APGA’s
support of Mr. Jonathan, he advised the party to produce its own
presidential candidate, saying that the APGA was merely trying to climb
on Mr. Jonathan’s back to victory.
For George Okoye,
a former APGA presidential aspirant now a PDP member, the party is
using the Jonathan fever to plot the overthrow of mainstream PDP
elements in Anambra State and ultimately hijack the party. Mr Okoye,
who described the move as a self-serving agenda, said the plan was to
install a senator (Dora Akunyili) who, he said, will later change
colours back to the umbrella which is PDP’s logo.
“Then with Abuja
contacts the senator will provide a safe-landing for APGA’s top brass
into PDP too and finally APGA will use executive powers of the
government house, in Awka, through the senator’s influence in Abuja to
hijack Anambra PDP machinery,” Mr. Okoye surmised.
Indeed, the
suspicion that APGA has a secret agenda has been growing stronger by
the day ever since the high profile defections of PDP members to the
party, and Mr. Obi’s growing closeness with the PDP hierarchy. When the
president flagged off his campaign in Enugu, Mr. Obi was there and
featured prominently. Same scenario played out when Mr. Jonathan came
to Anambra for a similar purpose.
Long before then,
during last year’s PDP governorship primary in Anambra, Mr. Obi
provided his official cars, drinks and food to the delegates led by the
speaker of the House of Representatives, Dimeji Bankole, whose
delegation later retired to the governor’s lodge where they were
treated to a lavish dinner. Mrs Akunyili who was then information and
culture minister, was also there.
According to state
government sources, however, Mr. Obi’s action was a demonstration of
politics without bitterness which should be emulated. But when Mr. Obi
went ahead to win the governorship election in the state, the PDP
candidate and former Central Bank governor, Chukwuma Soludo, alleged
that forces within the party plotted his failure by working against him
and for Mr. Obi, although Mr. Soludo’s allegation was seen largely as
the antics of a bad loser.
Now, with the
presidential election zeroing in, tongues are wagging again over Mr.
Obi and his party’s apparent romance with the PDP, with some people
anticipating Mr. Obi’s dumping of the APGA for the PDP.
Jonathan or nobody
But in a recent
interview, the deputy governor of Anambra State, Emeka Sibeudu,
dismissed such speculations. According to him, APGA was merely
cooperating with the federal government because it is doing well.
“The president of
this country, Goodluck Jonathan, is a PDP member. Our relationship with
PDP is that the president is a PDP member and has done very well.
Anambra State has become more stable under them. We have benefitted
from the federal government led by a PDP president. I see no reason why
we should not work with them,” said Mr Sibeudu.
He added that the
party will benefit from its romance with Mr. Jonathan but pointed out
that it will be erroneous for anyone to conclude that the party was
working for the PDP. On his part, the state chairman of APGA, Mike
Kwentoh, said, “We’re an ideology-driven party that has the welfare of
people in mind. We believe in whatever will benefit our people and
that’s why we support Jonathan.”
But another
controversial issue concerns new APGA members who recently left the
PDP. a development that surprised many political watchers given the
fact that politicians in the east usually prefer to identify with the
party at the centre which they usually see as offering more
opportunities.
The exodus into
APGA started last July with the defection of the House of Reps member
representing Anaocha, Njikkoka, Dunukofia Constituency, Uche Ekwunife.
Although she joined from Progressive People’s Alliance (PPA) she was
originally a PDP member and won her seat as a PDP member.
Soon others
followed and they included the likes of Chuma Nzeribe, former National
Assembly member; Okey Udeh, former deputy to Chris Ngige; Mr. Umeoji, a
serving Reps member; Mrs Akunyili, and some members of the state
assembly, among others.
Although they all
said they had come to APGA to stay, their assurances have been taken
with a pinch of salt as many believed they merely wanted to use APGA,
the ruling party in the state, as a vehicle to achieve their ambitions
because of the crisis in Anambra PDP. After that, the expectation is
that they will return to PDP.
But at a meeting
with traditional rulers from Anambra central senatorial zone at Okpuno
near Awka, Mrs Akunyili debunked such speculations and said she had no
plans to leave APGA as she joined it in order to complement the efforts
of the state governor. She, however, noted that politics being dynamic,
any future decision she might take must be in consultation with Mr. Obi.
Addressing her
supporters, Mrs Ekwunife also said that she was not going to leave the
party and announced the complete collapse of her structure into APGA’s.
Senior special
assistant to the governor on media and publicity, Valentine Obienyem,
also dismissed the speculations, saying it was apparent Nigerians were
yet to understand Mr. Obi. “This is a man that plays mature politics
devoid of the cash and carry and vindictive version Nigerians are used
to. They always judge Obi by their own standards and that’s why they
always get him wrong.
If the governor and
his party choose to adopt the president who is in another party does it
warrant insinuating that APGA and PDP have become siamese twins?” Mr.
Obienyem queried.
He said those peddling the rumour were only out to score cheap
political gains. “For the records, APGA is not PDP and can never be.
Our support for Jonathan is only for the presidency and nothing more.
Our supporters will vote APGA in other positions and anybody twisting
this fact is out to cause mischief,” Mr Obienyem said.
