From Idu Jude, Abuja
The recent Supreme Court judgement recognising Sly Ezeokenwa as the National Chairman of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), has raised more questions than answers.
Some of the questions include: Will the recognition of Ezeokenwa be the end of the protracted legal battle that has bedevilled APGA for a long time? Is the development going to improve the fortunes of the party going forward? Will it end the rumour that Governor Soludo may dump the party for the APC or PDP, and can the embattled party go into next year’s Anambra governorship battle as one house?
For many critical observers, as preparations for the Anambra State Gubernatorial Election in 2025 gathers momentum, the founding fathers of APGA are certainly not happy with the crises rocking the party, as the situation appears to circumvent the dreams of the likes of former leader, Chukwuemeka Odumegu Ojukwu and others.
The APGA historically is a Nigerian political party formed in June 2002 and has governed the Southeastern state of Anambra since 2003. The party has produced state Governors like Peter Obi in Anambra, Rochas Okorocha in Imo, Theodore Orji in Abia State, and other elective positions alike.
The party supremacy grew like wildfire in the Southeast, ruling most of the states with a good number of seats in the National Assembly and state Assemblies.
In the 2003 general elections, former President Olusegun Obasanjo of the PDP had backed his party’s candidate in the election, Dr. Chris Ngige to usurp the position through the instrumentality of the state’s political ‘godfather’ then, Chief Chris Uba.
However, the APGA was not satisfied with the outcome of the election, led by its candidate, Peter Obi, who went to court to challenge the declaration of Ngige as governor. It was a court battle that lasted till 2006 when the matter was finally decided in favour of the opposition party.
Obi who emerged as the party’s flag bearer ahead of Chief Okey Nwosu, the then PDP national treasurer widely expected to clinch the ticket, was subsequently installed as the duly elected governor of Anambra. Since 2006, the APGA has held sway to the governorship seat in Anambra. Since then, it has also won local government, state, and National Assembly elections in several states of the country. However, the five-year leadership tussle resulting in endless litigations appears to have dealt a blow to its reputation in Anambra for the time being. Observers believe this development may mar the party’s chances of retaining the state in the 2025 governorship election.
Chief Victor Umeh, who represents Anambra Central at the National Assembly on the Labour Party (LP) platform, had led the APGA for about 12 years before he handed over the reins to his namesake, Dr Victor Oye.
Analysts argue that the leadership of the party should leave Anambra State, which has had a better share than every other state in the Southeast and Nigeria in general. This perception resonates among those who believe that Njoku, who hails from Abia State, should end the streak, but not without due process.
It is little wonder that the party has been destabilized by internal squabbles because of the tussle over its leadership. After Oye was suspended ahead of the 2021 governorship election, Chief Jude Okeke was declared the acting National chairman. This is the genesis of the crisis that has refused to abate.
Since then, APGA chieftains have moved from one court to another, trying to resolve the tussle.
Many believe that despite the recent Supreme Court ruling, the crisis in the party is not over and there are no signs of an amicable resolution in sight. However, the embattled elected Chairman of the party, Sly Ezeokenwa, sees no crises in the party and told Daily Sun that it is one of INEC’s manipulations to create enabling grounds for the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) for a smooth sail come 2027.
But the Supreme Court judgment that ought to end the crisis did not help matters because it did not streamline its position on why Njoku should be the Chairman of the party when he didn’t participate during the convention.
Njoku has persisted in his claim that Ezeokenwa is not the authentic chairman of the party. The former argues that the latter is merely clinging to the mention of his name in a completely different matter by the Supreme Court.
Njoku believes the Supreme Court has given him the mandate to lead the party. But, to Ezeokenwa, it was an erroneous recognition as the latter never participated as a contestant during the National convention.
Governor Chukwuma Soludo, the APGA national leader, was under pressure to recognize the Supreme Court judgment that earlier pronounced Njoku as chairman. The founding National Chairman, Chief Chekwas Okorie, wanted Soludo disciplined for failing to uphold Njoku as APGA national chairman. Chekwas, at a press conference, accused the governor of trying to destroy the party.
But citing a Supreme Court letter by the immediate past Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Olukayode Ariwoola, Ezeokenwa had argued that the court’s ruling on March 24, 2023, did not recognize Njoku as national chairman.
The confusion in APGA has made it difficult to understand the true position of things. While the majority of its members have faith in the party, supporters of Governor Soludo within the fold continue to believe in the party.
Soludo never believed that Njoku had the backing of the Supreme Court to lay claim to APGA’s leadership. This position, according to Ezeokenwa, could be attributed to a Certified True Copy (CTC) of a letter written by Justice Ariwoola, dated June 6, 2023, notifying counsel to Njoku that the Supreme Court in its ruling of March 24, 2023, did not recognize Njoku as APGA chairman.
Ezeokenwa in an interview with The Sun, said, “We firmly believe that the Supreme Court will speak further to clarify if there was anything in its ruling of March 24, 2023, to be enforced to put to rest the misinterpretation arising from the correction of the accidental slip in its judgment now that the case has found its way back to the Supreme Court, to challenge the Appeal Court ruling of June 28, 2024.
We therefore call on all our aggrieved members, supporters, and Nigerians to remain calm, knowing full well that this is yet another storm in a teacup.”
Sly Ezeokenwa observed that under the party, “the state has enjoyed free education from elementary to senior secondary schools. “The dream of our founding fathers cannot be neglected and that is why we are doing everything to implement the (DRIVE) initiative of our administration. Its acronyms represent our objectives, which seek to instill discipline in the party, expand the party beyond a regional political party as well, and remain an advocate for the freedom and rights of the citizens of this country.
“Yes APGA, is a party established to put a check to the marginalization of Southern Nigeria, and as a mouthpiece, since the return of Democracy in 1999, there has not been anything to show for, regard to the promise made by the Federal Government after the civil war that ended ‘ with no Victor, no Vanquished’. They promised the 3R programme which never came.
“As I told you, APGA has grown beyond a regional political party, and soon, we should begin to see APGA National Chairmen from other parts of the country.
You asked this question about the crisis because of what you see in the media about our party. But things like these are normal during the run-up to an election.”Governor Soludo, the chairman of the APGA Board of Trustees (BoT), says the Anambra people seem to have concluded that APGA is the party for them. He said: “It is no longer those years of burning down buildings and turmoil; Anambra is now stable because of the APGA.
“That has been the reason for the progress we have witnessed here. The people of Anambra have resolved that the APGA is the party that can develop the state. For instance, under our leadership, the APGA has never been stronger than it is today.”
A member of the House of Representatives, who does not want his name mentioned, said, “I know someone else is claiming that he is the national chairman, and that is through a court order, and I haven’t seen that court order myself.
“This is just a family problem that will be sorted out soon. Sooner than later, everyone will come into the same big tent. I don’t see any division in the APGA.
“I understand the applicants are in court and, hopefully, they will resolve their differences soon and I hope that after that, two of them will come into this tent.
“The APGA is a movement that has been used for transformations and I can tell you that the party has never been stronger than now.”
The Deputy National Chairman (Southeast) of the Njoku faction, Tony Ezekwelu, believes that Soludo, Ezeokenwa, and all the chieftains of APGA in their group are only burying their head in the sand, like the ostrich, to avoid the reality.
He said the recent sealing of the party’s office in Awka by Soludo and his camp will spell doom for them when the time comes. He said the governor’s camp is just trying to intimidate and harass the Njoku-led faction with its executive fiat to cow them.
Despite the confusion within the party, both factions have started selling expression of interest forms for elective positions in the forthcoming local government election in the state.
While the Njoku faction has rented a building in Udoka Housing Estate in Awka, the Ezeokenwa faction is occupying the magnificent edifice erected by the former national chairman, Dr. Victor Oye.
The four-story building which also serves as the party’s Southeast zonal headquarters, is situated along the Awka-Enugu expressway before the Nnamdi Azikiwe University school gate. Ezekwelu maintained that since Njoku’s men took over the leadership of APGA, Soludo has not been loyal to the party.
The Sun was reliably informed that Soludo and his men are considering shifting base to the Social Democratic Party (SDP) as an alternative should it become impossible for him to vie for re-election on the APGA platform. This rumor was, however, dispelled by Sly Ezeokenwa, who added that Soludo is a man who has vision, only to be executed within his stay in APGA.
Barrister Okechukwu Ndeche, former AG. Secretary INEC, added that the kind of destructive politics people are playing is alarming. He said: “Those hyping this crisis are people who want to distract the governor because of the 2025 governorship election. But they won’t succeed. The people know what they want because Soludo is repositioning Anambra.” The onus is now on the Supreme Court to resolve the crisis for good. In the meantime, the APGA faces two critical elections in November: the local government election and next year’s governorship election.
The expectation is that gladiators should present a united front even as the opposing camps are plotting to outsmart each other. There are many observers who believe that Soludo is not bothered because he has the option of leaving APGA as he is said to be considering the APC or his former party, the PDP. Both parties, many argue, would gladly accept him because his presence would boost their chances of winning the election.