APGA crisis: NEC disowns Agbaso, backs Oye

APGA crisis:/sd

APGA crisis: NEC disowns Agbaso, backs Oye

…As Maku, others rate Obiano high on development

From Obinna Odogwu, Ekwulobia

The National Executive Council of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), yesterday, said they would have nothing to do with Chief Martin Agbaso whom a Federal High Court sitting in Enugu had declared as the national chairman of the party.

The NEC insisted Chief Victor Oye remains its national chairman and would always submit to his directives.

The position of the party was contained in a communiqué issued after the meeting between the embattled national chairman and its 36 states’ chairmen in Awka and signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Sir Ifeatu Obi-Okoye.

“The meeting reiterated its total loyalty to the leadership of Dr Victor Ike Oye as the national chairman of the party. To this end, the meeting resolved to back and support him in taking appropriate disciplinary sanctions against erring officers and members of the party in line with the provisions of the party’s constitution.

“The meeting pledge total support to the re-election of Governor Willie Obiano for a second term in office in November 18, 2017, in view of his credibility and laudable performance as governor in critical sectors of infrastructural and economic development of Anambra State.

“The party condemned the activities of some expelled members who had clandestinely deceived the High Court in Enugu to make spurious rulings against the leadership of the party. Consequently, the 36 states chairmen and the FCT gave full support to the national chairman’s application to the court to set aside its judgment obtained by deceit, misrepresentation of facts and fraudulent concealment.”

Meanwhile, some members of the NEC, while fielding questions from newsmen shortly after inspecting the projects executed by the  Obiano’s administration in different locations of the state, swore never to have dealings with the court-recognised Agbaso.

The National Secretary of the party, H.E Labaran Maku, dismissed Agbaso as an impostor whose aim was to destabilise the party so as to thwart Obiano’s re-election bid.

Maku, who is also the former minister of information, pointed out that “what is going on is not about the national chairmanship of the party” but a ploy to wrestle power from Obiano in November 18, 2017 governorship election.

“Because his election is around the corner, they put up a team of strangers who went to court to declare a person as the national chairman. You don’t become the national chairman of APGA until you bring yourself nomination from your ward to the state level to national convention.

“All of us led by Ike Victor Oye were elected at a convention here in Awka. Did you see anyone called Agbaso there? How can he be operating from Sambisa forest of the social media to become the national chairman of APGA?

“We can’t sit here and watch a governor that is being celebrated all over the country for his performance to be destabilised by some riff-raff who we do not know,” he said.

Also speaking, the party’s chairman in Imo State, Peter Ezeobi, disclosed that Agbaso left APGA in 2015 to PDP where he contested for a governorship position of the state.

Meanwhile, the Managing Director of Stine Rice Mills, Amichi, Mr Akai Egwuonwu, dispelled the rumour making the rounds that Anambra State government does not support the firm in its rice production.

Egwuonwu made the clarification while taking the NEC round the production plant of the rice mill. He disclosed that each day, the firm produced 440 tons of rice; hinting that could not have been possible without the support of Governor Obiano-led administration.