Deputy Chairman, Media and Public Affairs Committee, All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Mr Victor Afam Ogene, has lambasted the recent statement attributed to Senator Annie Okonkwo who said ‘APGA is dead, saying that it is infantile belief that APC holds the key to the realisation of a ‘President of Igbo extraction.’
He said his comment was ‘demeaning’ and ‘disrespectful’ to the party, describing him as a fair weather politician.
Ogene in a statement said Senator Okonkwo and his political associates were free to join any party of their choice but they should be civil enough not to denigrate APGA or deceive people into believing that they were representatives of the party.
“The unfortunate and ill-conceived comment coming so soon after Senator Okonkwo and a few fair weather politicians misled the public into believing that they were representing the APGA is one slip too many-an unfortunate adventurism, which must be put to a final stop,” he said. Ogene said Governor Peter Obi remains the national leader of the party.
According to him, the last court verdict didn’t roll any stone over the party, as the office of the national chairman remains distinct from that of the party leader. His words: “President Goodluck Jonathan is the national leader of the PDP, while Alhaji Bamanga Tukur is its national chairman. Asiwaju Bola Tinubu is national leader of ACN, while Chief Bisi Akande is its national chairman.
Governor Olusegun Mimko is national leader of Labour Party (LP), while Chief Dan Nwanyanwu is its national chairman.” Ogene noted that as a democrat, he had nothing against merger of willing political parties with the aspiration of becoming stronger in their quest for political power.
Speaking further, he said APGA, as a political party, also has the right to decide to remain independent, while striving to expand its reach in its area of dominance without necessarily losing its treasured identity to a beclouded future. “Indeed, like many other true disciples of APGA, I am at a loss why Senator Okonkwo is interested in the ‘funeral’ of a party he neither nurtured nor added any value to. It is also laughable that he and other opportunistic politicians are flirting with the new party because of their erroneous and infantile belief that APC holds the key to the realisation of a ‘President of Igbo extraction,” he added.
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