Bianca Ojukwu, widow of the founder of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), on Thursday shunned the presidential and national assembly campaigns flagoff of the party in protest.
Aside Bianca, her rival for the senatorial ticket of the party, Chief Ifeanyi Ubah of Capital Oil and Gas, who was disqualified before the primary election for not obtaining waiver, also stayed away.
Bianca has been locked in a running battle with the leadership of the party since she failed to clinch the ticket, and has severally called on the party’s national chairman, Chief Victor Oye to resign.
A source said that her absence was deliberate, and was done in protest to embarrass the party because of Oye’s refusal to resign.
Former national chairman of the party, and the senator representing Anambra central, Chief Victor Umeh, however called for calm, while also begging the widow of the late leader of the party to put behind her all grievances and work for the success of her late husband’s legacy.
Umeh assured that, “APGA is here to accommodate all Nigerians in governance and all their interests.
“We promise Nigerians that all they need to succeed will be made available in APGA. We urge you all to put your eyes on the ball, and the ball is victory for APGA in all the elections. We know people are aggrieved about the past, but we urge them to put it behind and put the party and her survival first.
“There is no way everyone will be happy, but having come this far, we should put our grievances in the past. Our opponents did not fair better in the last primaries, so let our own not be different.
“We must reach out to wife of our late leader Bianca, who has made noble contributions to the party, let us cling together and make better commitment to the party.”
Presidential candidate of the party, General John Gbor (retd), was presented with the party’s flag, alongside his vice presidential candidate, governorship, senatorial and house of representatives candidates across the country.
Addressing the crowd, Gbor said the All Progressives Congress, APC, and the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, have all failed the country and cannot offer good leadership.
He called on Nigerians to join hands with his party, APGA to make a change in the country.
“I call on the Nigerian armed forces, my fellow retired generals, the youths, Nigerian students and all to join hands with us to make a change in this country,” he said.
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