Tension in APGA as Umeh carpets Obi

"How can you run the government for six years and the party cannot win election..?"

All does not seem to be well between the Anambra State governor, Mr Peter Obi and his long-standing ally and National Chairman Obi of All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Chief Victor Umeh. And to underscore this soured relationship, Umeh, yesterday, released what could best be described a bombshell, an own-goal, against the governor, blaming him for all the electoral woes the party has suffered in recent times, especially in Anambra State.

There has been a cold war going on between the two but Umeh at the weekend broke the silence as he berated Governor Obi for refusing to conduct local government election and for allegedly sponsoring the disintegration of APGA. Umeh who questioned the commitment of Obi to APGA also made it clear that the Governor will not be allowed to anoint his successor.

For some months now, the Governor’s uncle and his special Adviser on parks and market, Chief Sylvester Nwobu-Alor, has been fighting to get Umeh vacate his seat as the national Chairman, a venture allegedly being sponsored by the Governor, though Umeh had refused to react to it. But at the weekend in Agulu, at constituency briefing by Hon Uche Ekwunife, Umeh told newsmen that the Governor has not treated his party well as he had done everything to impoverish members of the party in the state and denied the party the firm grip of the state by his refusal to conduct local government election.

He spoke on many issues and Daily Sun was there. Excerpts:

Chief Nwobu-Alor said he has taken effective action to see that you vacate your office what do you have to say on this?

Well I have just addressed his nuisance with Ndi Mpiawa Azu just now, they are killing people in the state. This is another irresponsible action on his part. It is something we have decided to ignore for a long time, but let me make bold to tell you that our party will no longer tolerate indiscipline. APGA is in my firm control as Chairman for the whole Nigeria. You have been following the assaults against APGA; with my colleagues we have been navigating APGA to safety. An attempt to clone our party through UPGA was killed again last week, you heard about it. So while we are labouring to keep APGA safe in Anambra State and in Nigeria, some irresponsible misguided elements have continued to create the impression that APGA is in crisis, APGA is not in crisis.

What I read in the papers, you quoted Nwobu-Alor as saying that he didn’t sanction the dissolution of the state executive, he denied it. But he sanctions the restructure of APGA, as what? Is it as Onwa Agulu? Can he restructure APGA as Onwa Agulu? He doesn’t have such power. So, we don’t want Nwobu-Alor to drag anybody to his grave, because that is what he is trying to do, to drag people to his grave that is near by, we will not do that.

What is the position of the governor in all this?

 
Well, I don’t know, for the fact that he has been doing this and the Governor has not called him to order, I believe that the Governor is sponsoring him. I repeat, for the fact that Governor Obi has not called Nwobu-Alor to order, last year in October I called Governor Obi to call Nwobu-Alor to order, he has not done that till now and his nuisance is continuing. So what we can conclude is that Governor Obi is sponsoring him to destabilize APGA. We cannot continue to keep silent when we are working very hard to keep this party growing from strength to strength, it cannot happen. All of you are in Anambra State here; he accused me of incompetence, that’s what Nwobu-Alor did. In the paper I read yesterday he said he wants me removed because I’m incompetent to be chairman of APGA.
I was incompetent and I got his nephew Peter Obi elected two times in Anambra State.

My incompetence started when Obi got his second term in office and I advised them to conduct local government election here so that APGA members will be empowered, so that the party will become strong, they refused to conduct local government election. I opposed it that’s why they are fighting me and I refused to join issue with them in the press without restraint. For him to again, two days ago say he wants to remove me, he is a foolish old man, that is the way I describe him and if Obi does not know what he is doing, why is he still in his government at 88 years of age. This is the only state in Nigeria where somebody of that age is a member of State Executive Council. It cannot continue to happen. So it is for the Governor to send him back to Agulu to stay. He should stop using him to confuse people that APGA is in crisis, APGA is very solidly together in this state and in 2014, by the grace of God, APGA will win Anambra State again.

I know what is happening here and their activities will soon begin to haunt them. APGA is carrying so much burden through the activities of a few disgruntled people, selfish people, it cannot happen. Before 2011, only Governor Obi was the only person elected on the platform of APGA for nearly six years. I kept saying conduct local government election here so that our people can become Chairmen of Councils and councilors, that’s the way to build a party, they refused to do that and they are blaming me for what is happening in Anambra State here, how can it be. How many APGA members have been given contracts in this State? My party people are suffering, they are impoverished, this is the problem and that is the only problem I have with them. Let them use what is available to government to build their party, empower them instead of indulging in idle gossip, that would not take us anywhere.

If local government election is conducted here and APGA people become chairmen of Councils and councilors, the party will settle to the grassroots, they become empowered and local government administration will be more effective, it will be more democratic. Today we have a sole administrator running 21 local government areas in Anambra State. That is the problem. So I will continue to oppose these wrong actions here, if that is what has made me suddenly incompetent, they are joking. I am very competent; I’ve been fighting the battles of APGA without help even from the Governor. I just finished stopping them registering UPGA, to confused the electorate and destroy APGA, did he ask me about it? Is that the way to build a party? They are the problem of the party in the state, the Governor and his uncle. Let me tell you go and write it tomorrow that they are the people holding this party down in the state.

How can you run the government for six years and the party cannot win election, the party that produced the government? 

Our party people during elections because of hunger and poverty, they collect money and even sabotage the party out of anger. These are the details here and you know it. So let them use what they have, government is won by APGA. I was a pivot of the struggle to bring Obi to become governor of Anambra State. I was pillar for him to become elected for a second time.

When he was impeached, I can say that, that was the day he died, I brought him back to life. I was the one who restated him by holding Ojukwu to support him. We should bring Obi back. After doing all these, with every thing, I left t him to administer in this state and things are going wrong, they are still accusing me, Anambra people will judge them. But what I can assure them is that this party, nobody can disintegrate it. The party is behind me, from national down to the grassroots. I have this party in my firm grip, because I’ve not done any anti-party activity since I became the Chairman of this party. I have done everything, including becoming party agent during elections to make sure APGA keeps surviving. Glory to God today I am working very hard with other members of this party everywhere, including the Governor of Imo State. They are dropping his name.

I know what is happening here, I know how elections are won here, I have been doing it without anybody giving me the credit, except the ordinary citizens, because I know you people know what I have been doing here. Without me they won’t be where they are, and if this is the way to say thank you to a man who has kept them afloat, God will judge them. But on this issue of killing people, the Inspector General of Police must arrest some of them. They have to account for these three murders at Nnewi.

What is APGA’s plan for 2014?

 
I want you to be patient with APGA. In the next few weeks and months, we shall unveil our programme in Anambra State 2014, APGA will win it. Nobody will stop APGA in Anambra State. I am the engine room in this project and I assure you we are going to succeed.
Why is the party reluctant to sanction Nwobu-Alor?
Nobody is running away from sanctioning him. Once the party said it was not sure of Nwobu-Ablor’s membership of APGA. What they told me is that they are writing his ward Chairman to verify whether his name is in the register. By next week, they will set up a disciplinary committee. I have directed them to do so. All the people who have been causing confusion in this party will be expelled.

Including the Governor?

 
No. Am not talking about the Governor. We are not expelling the Governor. What am telling you is that we can no longer tolerate indiscipline. If you want to know how ACN was built in the South West, you go and ask Tinubu. Tinubu is not a member of two parties, you people discuss it here, and can you describe Obi as a member of APGA, a committed member of the party? Is he? I am asking you.

Let nobody stir the honest nest, I am the custodian of everything happening in this state and if they annoy me, I will open the can of worms. It is a challenge I’m giving them. If they don’t want to contribute to the growth of APGA, let them leave, this is my charge to anybody, no matter how highly placed. I read in the papers two or three days ago where President Jonathan was saying that nobody is greater than PDP including himself. It is only in APGA that somebody will get up and say he is the Alpha and Omega and yet that money is the state’s money, not his money. Let them do what is right. Victor Umeh is not the problem of APGA, the problem of APGA in Anambra State is Peter Obi and Nwobu-Alor, write it.

Part of the problem seems to be picking of the candidate that will fly the party’s flag for 2014. If that is why they are fighting me, they are making a mistake, because here in 2003 I made it possible for Obi to be candidate of APGA, all of you were here. In 2010 I made it possible for him to become candidate of APGA, so why will he not want us now to choose a candidate for APGA in 2014? It is not possible because he never gave himself nomination two times he contested governorship here. He came to our office we submitted his name, so in 2014 any good candidate that will win election for APGA will be chosen by the party. Nobody can anoint anybody here.

The Governor, if that is why he is laying the foundation to destroy APGA, he cannot anoint his successor. He has not treated the party well. At that time, I know my party will resist it. You will see it in operation here and it will happen. We are going to bring somebody who will win. So if why they are fighting me is because of who will be Governor in 2014, they are making a very grievous mistake, it will not happen. You are here, you are journalist. don’t you people know that somebody who is in local government joint account was sentenced to prison for 151 months in America, he served jail term 12 years and he is serving here. I don’t want any body to get me upset go and tell them. DAILYNEWS