APGA v UPGA Can Okorie scale identity hurdle?

Chief Chekwas Okorie’s quest to register a new political party, United Progressives Grand Alliance (UPGA), is facing challenges, allegedly caused by his former party, All Progressives Grand Alliance. In this report, Assistant Editor, Augustine Avwode, examines the challenges and reports that the hurdle is built around its name and logo. 

When on March 28, 2012, Chief Chekwas Okorie, erstwhile chairman of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), announced the formation of a new party, the United Peoples Grand Alliance (UPGA), he probably thought he would now have a new and fresh platform to rally people of like political minds and philosophy for the development of Nigeria and Nigerians. 

But by the midweek, it appeared such a hope was resting on the cliff-hanger as it emerged that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) allegedly refused to register the party. 

INEC rejected the application on the grounds that it flouted relevant sections of the 1999 Constitution (as amended). The electoral umpire claimed that the logo of the proposed party has ethnic connotation and its acronym, UPGA, is similar in pronouncement to that of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA).

The decision of the umpire was contained in a letter dated April, 23, 2012 with reference number INEC/DPPM&L/UPGA/428/143 written by the Secretary to the Commission, Alhaji Abudalahi Kaugama, and addressed to Okorie.

The symbol of the proposed party is the rising sun with an acronym UPGA written on the bar upon which the rising sun is rested. The motto of UPGA is love and unity while the flag is made of white and green colours with the proposed party’s symbol displayed on the white part of the flag.

But in a swift reaction, Okorie fired back a letter on April 25, 2012 to INEC. Okorie described his letter as a ‘protest letter’. He wrote: “This letter (INEC’s) is not only belated; UPGA has become a political party by the effluxion of time. We are further surprised that the commission wrote this letter to us shortly after we complained in writing that Chief Umeh declared in a statewide television programme Face The Press in Anambra State that he had sealed the fate of UPGA at INEC.

“Democracy in Nigeria will be doomed the moment outsiders or virtual interlopers begin to direct and decide for the commission how to carry out its statutory functions and even have the audacity to boast in public in advance of the occurrence of what they boasted about.

“The INEC letter under reference is a rehash of the petition written to INEC by Chief Victor Umeh, objecting to the registration of UPGA as a political party.”

Speaking to The Nation on Friday, Okorie alleged that the letter written to him from the commission was a product of conspiracy by two officials in the commission. He alleged that the matter has not even been discussed and so it was baffling that such a conclusion could be reached by just two members out of the board of commissioners in INEC.

“However, there are several options that we can explore. There is the legal option, there is also the possibility of going to the ECOWAS court. We also could write a fresh application which is another option,” he said.

Faulting the ground for the refusal to register UPGA by INEC, Okorie said that by virtue of Section 78, paragraphs 3 and 4, the 30 days allowed by law had expired and the party was deemed to have been registered. 

He said were there any objection to the documents submitted by the party, there wouldn’t have been need to inspect the national headquarters and verify the members of the executive committee on April 17. 

“There is no legislation on intonation and so the claim that UPGA and APGA sound similar is incorrect. Besides, the issue of the logo is a non-issue because Biafra had no symbol or logo but a Coat of Arms which lasted only for 30 months and has since been declared defunct. How come they are bringing life into what is dead?

It will be recalled that APGA national chairman, Chief Victor Umeh, protested the registration of UPGA. In his protest letter, he had said: “We, in All Progressives Grand Alliance, have our reasons for not wanting Chekwas Okorie to register UPGA.  “One is that it is a rule that no political party should have similar acronym or name. The name United Peoples Grand Alliance is similar to All Progressives Grand Alliance. We are opposed to it more particularly as when we wanted to register APGA in 2002, the name we submitted to INEC for registration was United Progressives Grand Alliance, but INEC rejected the name.  We had to adjust to All Progressives Grand Alliance, that is replacing ‘United’ with ‘All’ to be able to scale INEC’s hurdle. That name APGA and UPGA sound similar. Moreover, UPGA has a historical perspective as an acronym. Our people and Nigerians can identify UPGA with the old party called UPGA (United Progressives Grand Alliance).  

“Even today, some people still pronounce APGA as UPGA. In the South-East part of Nigeria, for instance, rural women and men only know UPGA; they don’t understand APGA. That was the old party they knew and supported in the past... ”. 

But Okorie countered within the week that parties registered by INEC include those with the following acronyms, ANPP and UNPP, CPP and CPC, PDP and DPP, ADC and ACD.  

“These parties have their different symbols and nobody has ever complained about any conflict in their identities.” 

Whatever happens in the next two or three weeks, one thing is clear, the time to sing halelluyah by Okorie and bask in the euphoria of leading another political party has been deferred.