Follow Us on Google
From Geoffrey Anyanwu, Enugu
The founding National Chairman of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Chief Chekwas Okorie, has said that the only realistic option for the Igbo to redeem themselves politically in Nigeria is to coalesce on a national political party they can control its machinery.
In this interview with Sunday Sun, Okorie spoke how such move could be realized and more. Excerpts:
You formed Igboezue Cultural Association which eventually gave birth to APGA, what was the propelling force and your intension?
Maybe I will answer this with a two-paragraph thought I issued recently which I titled: “Ndigbo and their self-denying brethren,” in which I said that in the days of Zik, Okpara, Osadebe, and others, Ndigbo attained high respect in Nigeria and abroad. The Biafra/Nigeria war robbed Ndigbo of their self-confidence, and some of our kith and Kin began to deny their true Igbo identity in the erroneous belief that the Northern political class will treat them differently from the evil-design to continue the Biafra/Nigeria war by other means from 1970 when the fratricidal war ended. At the advent of Igbo Forum in 1976, which metamorphosed into Ohanaeze in 1979, Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe, who was our patron, repeatedly told us that the greatest affliction to any race that lost a war is the concomitant loss of self-esteem of the citizens. When I came to terms with this reality, especially at the twilight of Zik’s earthly sojourn, I mobilized a few compatriots on the platform of Igboezue Cultural Association, which I had founded in 1992 to commence the effort to form a progressive political party essentially to galvanize Ndigbo to reassert themselves politically, pursue the objective of self-determination which Zik had espoused in 1949 and constructively engage the rest of Nigeria. In 2002, APGA was registered by INEC after two previous failed attempts to register a political party. I have not deviated from that objective in spite of the unfortunate obstacles on our way. On a personal note, it was not an easy decision for me to leave the prospects in a ruling party, the APC, where my associates and I had settled down in 2020 to return to the trenches in APGA in 2022, to support Chief Edozie Njoku, a founding member of APGA, to resume the struggle on his side to recover the soul and spirit of APGA and to relaunch it on the part of its original vision. I remain strongly convinced that the Igbo question in Nigeria can only be solved politically. The truth, which is self-evident, is that there is no socio-cultural association or NGO, whatever name called, can muster the capacity and build the national and international outreach to resolve the Igbo question in Nigerian effectively.
When you said no socio-cultural association or NGO can resolve the Igbo question, but it can only be solved politically, how do you mean and how can that be?
The Igbo question in Nigerian is essentially political. The vexed issue of the marginalization and exclusion of the Igbo race from the commanding heights of Nigeria’s economy and bureaucracy are made possible by the conspiracy of the country’s political class who take advantage of the imposed obnoxious 1999 constitution of Nigeria and the country’s skewed political structure. The conspiratorial allocation of 95 local government areas to the Southeast geopolitical zone as against 188 local government areas to the Northwest geopolitical zone is just one example of such political marginalization. A race like the Igbo that has proved its numerical superiority in critical cities like Asaba, Lagos, Port Harcourt, and the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, outside the Igbo-dominated states of Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu and Imo, deserves a better and commensurate accommodation in the scheme of things in Nigeria. It has become clear even to the unwary that only a credible national political party that is ideologically rooted in the principles of equity, justice and fairness that can politically and constructively engage other political parties in credible democratic elections that can berth true federalism in Nigeria. Coalescing on such political platform by the Igbo while building political bridges to connect other political blocs in Nigeria, is the way forward for the Igbo race. All over the world, agitation for self-determination, fair representation and accommodation by nationalities in a large country like Nigeria have always been canvassed by political parties and not non-governmental organizations or socio-cultural associations.
So, as it is today what exactly would you want the Igbo nation to do and how would you want them to go about it, practically?
The only realistic option for the Igbo to redeem themselves politically in Nigeria is to coalesce on a national political party they control its machinery. The self-determination of all ethnic nationalities and the economic and political restructuring of Nigeria are critical conditions for true federalism. Only a political party anchored on such ideology will make their pursuit its cardinal objectives. While it is not advisable for the Igbo to put their eggs in one basket in positioning themselves in Nigeria’s democratic space, but it is expedient for the majority of them to coalesce on a national political party they control its administrative machinery for their political relevance and effective engagement with the rest of Nigeria. This is where APGA comes in. Unfortunately, those who hijacked the party did not and still do not share in the vision and mission of the party. The Scottish National Party, SNP, and similar parties in Northern Ireland, Catalonia in Spain, Quebec in Canada etc, have been useful in checking the dictatorial excesses of dominant parties in their countries while asserting the political identity and relevance of the nationalities they represent. It is obvious to those with discerning minds that the large Hausa population in Nigeria has realized the wisdom to coalesce on the platform of the Nigerian National Political Party (NNPP), while building bridges to connect other political blocs across the country. This is what multi-party democracy is all about.
Now, giving the very sick state of APGA and how the majority of Ndigbo perceive it as Anambra people’s party, can APGA still serve that purpose or should Ndigbo form a fresh political party? If APGA is in the affirmative, what should be done for other states in Igbo land to embrace it?
Chief Edozie Njoku, a foundation member of APGA who is committed and dedicated to the vision and mission of the party is fortuitously the authentic National Chairman of APGA duly affirmed by the clear and unambiguous judgment of the Supreme Court on March 24, 2023. It is the genuineness, commitment, and patriotism of the leadership of APGA under Chief Edozie Njoku as national chairman that motivated my associates and I to return to the party to lend our support and participate in the noble effort to recover the soul and spirit of APGA. It must be noted that the High Court 40, at Bwari, FCT, on November 9, 2023 in a landmark judgment found Prof Mahmood, the National Chairman of INEC guilty of contempt of court for refusing to obey the judgment of the Supreme Court that affirmed Chief Edozie as the National Chairman of APGA. The court magnanimously granted Prof Mahmood 14 days grace to purge himself of contempt of court or face the full wrath of the law. Regrettably, behaving through to character, Prof Mahmood has continued to disobey the judgment of the court. APGA will definitely rebound and be made ready for the next democratic encounter in Nigeria. Efforts are underway to revive and rejuvenate its nationwide presence. Anambra State may well be the springboard to relaunch the party as things stand.
With politicians’ penchant for following party in power, what would APGA do to attract that kind of population and popularity that would make it acceptable nationwide?
APGA in 2002 started from ground-zero. Nobody gave it a chance, but its performance in the 2003 general election (20 years ago) was phenomenal in spite of the massive manipulation of election results nationwide at that time. There were protests across Nigeria against the massive rigging of elections at that time. One of such protests led by General Muhammadu Buhari took the life of Dr Chuba Okadigbo, which resulted from heavy tear gas attacks in the city of Kano. I can assure you that APGA still enjoys widespread sentiment and following waiting to blossom the moment the Edozie Njoku leadership is off the ground. We have activated the erstwhile dormant APGA nationwide machinery. Prof Mahmood of INEC is the only stumbling block on our way to APGA rejuvenation. We are confident that the court in due course will clear the way for us to move on.
As one burning with the vision, will you oblige to lead APGA again if approached and what will you do to achieve what you talked about earlier?
I always glorify the Almighty God for using me to found APGA after two previous failed attempts. It is also to the glory of God that I am still alive to provide guidance to the younger generation who equally share in the vision and mission of APGA. My place in the political history of Nigeria is guaranteed. At the age of 70 years, I am still able to serve society in several other ways, beyond party leadership. I believe I have paid my dues, having been actively involved for about 47 years and still counting.
