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Apga crisis, plot against Igbo presidency—Okorie
NKIRU OKEKE,
Enugu
THE
crisis in All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) is being fuelled by the
Presidency to scuttle the quest for a Nigerian president of Igbo stock, the
party’s National Chairman, Chief Chekwas Okorie has alleged.
But factional leader of APGA, Sir Victor
Umeh described such position as false and laughable.
Reacting to his purported suspension from
the party, Chief Okorie told Daily Champion in Enugu that his position
that APGA had zoned its presidential ticket to the South-East had allegedly
unsettled many people in government.
He further alleged that the said officials
found a willing tool in APGA’s factional chairman and National Treasurer, Sir
Umeh and his group to send him (Okorie) packing.
But Umeh, who also spoke with Daily
Champion, denied Okorie’s assertion, alleging instead that the latter was
suspended for arranging moves to enable a top public functionary in the Anambra
State government decamp to APGA and frustrate Mr. Peter Obi, the party’s
governorship flagbearer in the 2003 poll.
Okorie said: " approaches were being made
to me also to merge the party with another to bring out a particular
presidential aspirant from the North. I said no; APGA policy is that of
non-merger. APGA will consider alliance, accord, consider coalition with like
minded party, depending on the circumstance of the time, so this policy position
of APGA has attracted animosity.
"APGA will be stupid not to take a
strategic position that will give it some advantage. In order to derail that
objective, they don’t want to face the reality of Igbo presidential candidate at
a time most of our incumbent governors will not be running for any other office.
So to destabilize what they think as a major obstacle on their way, Chekwas
Okorie has to be taken out of the way. That is actually the real reason for the
fuelling of the crisis."
While condemning those in the party
allegedly being used to destabilize the party, Okorie alleged that a
presidential aide from Anambra State gave Sir Umeh money to unseat him.
"A presidential aide in Anambra State has
given Victor and his group N3 million... But they have failed. We have decided
that we will follow this according to the constitution. Also there is no
provision for the suspension of the National Chairman in the constitution," he
pointed out.
"I have fought the recovery of our mandate
in Anambra State, far more than any person else except Peter himself who is the
man in court and I have not mellowed down in demanding that APGA won the
election in Anambra State. It will be wrong for anybody to imagine that any
person here on earth will love APGA more than myself," he stated.
Denying entering into an alliance with any
government official in Anambra to rob APGA of its victory, he said: "There is
nobody with his sense that will say there is an alliance. How is that alliance
supposed to materialize? I can’t withdraw the case from the court. I don’t have
the power under the constitution of APGA to say, ‘we no longer have a case."
It would be recalled that a faction in
APGA suspended Chief Okorie recently for alleged misappropriation of funds of
about N60 million and corrupt and fraudulent practices in his handling of party
affairs. He denied the charges.
Describing as "cheap blackmail" Okorie’s
allegation of presidential involvement" in his current ordeal, Umeh told
Daily Champion that such position "is laughable."
"Chief Okorie should be courageous to face
his sins. The circumstance that led to his suspension are clear for which he has
no defence," Umeh said.
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