•Chekwas Okorie Photo: Sun News Publishing

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The political landscape of the South East geo-political zone since independence has been riddled with pockets of alignments and re-alignments. The zone has equally produced potentially gifted heavyweight politicians and political nitwits.

In a bid to gain political relevance, Ndigbo have experimented on a series of options, including negotiation, accord and even secession. But in this interview, national chairman, All progressives Grand Alliance (APGA),Chief Chekwas Okorie puts the records straight among other national issues. Excerpts:

APGA, Umeh and I
APGA has just gone through a long period of crisis. I mean five years of crisis. It is the first of its kind in the political history of this country. I do not think there is anywhere in the world where there was a leadership tussle of a political party for upward of five years. So, it will go down as a very dark chapter of the Igbo people. Because the crisis was created and sustained by the Igbo people, using a platform that was founded to promote their interest and foster their unity. But we thank God that due to the resilience of the leadership of the party under my leadership as national chairman, and conviction that we will not allow political brigands and mercenaries to seize the soul of the party, we have been able to overcome.

We have overcome in the sense that on April 21, 2009, the board of INEC presided over by Prof. Maurice Iwu, took a disposal action or decision on the APGA leadership crisis and resolved that the leadership of the party to do political business with, is the one under me as the national chairman. They predicated their decision on the grounds that, one, the recognition of Victor Umeh based on information being given to them in 2004 as acting chairman and by every definition of the word, acting, it is a temporary recognition. Two, they said INEC has a cause to re-study the constitution of the party and confirmed that no convention of the party had ever taken place to change the leadership of the party. Three, INEC equally stated that the APGA constitution was not in dispute. It is not a part of what is in contention before any of the courts.

In fact, all the persons disputing over the leadership of the party subscribed to the same constitution. Above all, the constitution provided specifically for the founder of the party, Chief Chekwas Okorie in Section 18.1, being chairman of the party for two terms, which will end in 2011. So, based on these points, INEC decided that until the litigations in courts are resolved, my own leadership remains the authentic one. To us, in practical terms, that is the end of the factionalisation in the party. This is so because the main case in this leadership crisis was the one we constituted against INEC for that acting position recognition they (INEC) gave to Victor Umeh.

Then Umeh and his group joined in that suit, for the purpose of truncating it or delaying it forever. This, they have succeeded in making the case last this length of time. Now, that INEC has reversed itself, we have advised our lawyers to consider discontinuing that case. To us, it is now academic to continue with it, what is a settlement of matter out of court. This will give us the leverage to re-focus and rebuild the party.
APGA’s deal with PPA

I will not go into comparison between APGA and PPA. All I want to say is that PPA, everybody admits, is a child of circumstance. The former governor of Abia State, Dr. Orji Uzor Kalu and I agreed to work together for the 2007 general elections. As a matter of fact, he was heading to APGA before the 2007 elections. He also did so much to effect reconciliation within APGA. He talked to me, talked to Ojukwu, talked to Obi and other people that were involved in the APGA crisis. Remember very well that he reconciled IBB and Buhari and that was a part of the reasons that truncated Obasanjo’s ill-fated third term agenda.

In the case of APGA, there was nothing Orji did not do to ensure that peace returned to the party. In fact, he went further to pacify Dim Odimegwu Ojukwu with so many material gifts, including a vehicle. At this juncture, Orji was having right discussions with Ojukwu. Sadly, Ojukwu did the unexpected. On December 2, 2006, Ojukwu unilaterally pronounced himself presidential candidate of APGA in Enugu. This was what prompted Orji to publicly identify himself with PPA. PPA was the last party to be registered by INEC. Perhaps, if Ojukwu had agreed to Orji’s moves, APGA would have been better for it and PPA might not have been registered because Orji used it as a fallback platform.

Really, I must always commend Orji. He is a shrewd politician, an astute businessman, a courageous Igbo, a dynamic Nigerian and a visionary leader. He is a wonderful material to do political business with because he is not a political coward.
Again, I must say that his incumbency helped to secure Abia State for PPA. As you know, a combination of forces then reshaped Imo State politics and Ikedi Ohakim emerged as the governor on the platform of PPA. Originally, from 2003, majority of Ndigbo have always seen APGA as their party. Therefore, APGA followers supported PPA’s Ohakim because our man in that election, Martins Agbaso, was on the wrong side of the party. Let me also tell you that APGA has the emotion and sentimental attachment of the Igbo people home and abroad.

It is also the darling of most progressive elements in Nigeria. Many people are waiting on the wings for the final resolution of this factionalisation and they will now come in, including those who were not in APGA before. The truth is that APGA and PPA are like sibblings from the same parents – one is older than the other and therefore more experienced. The two parties have everything it takes to work together for political and electoral advantage and still promote the same ideals that led to the formation of both parties. We hope, and I believe that this lofty dream, this grand political vision will be actualised. Honestly, we are working on it. I have had a number of discussions with Dr. Orji Uzor Kalu and we are still talking. I am now looking forward to a situation where we can raise committees from both sides to study it, discuss it and make their recommendations. There should be a basic understanding by the topmost leaders of the two parties before we can send it to our various administrative headquarters.

Ndigbo and government of national unity
We have had political experiences in Nigeria. Thus, Igbo nation has a political antecedent. We have experimented political alignment more than any other tribe in the country and now we are in a better position to know the one that favoured us most. In the First Republic, we had Dr. Azikiwe, the great Zik, as our political rallying point, who had an alliance with NPC. That arrangement made the Igbo to be well represented at the centre and enjoyed democracy dividends.
Of course, people like G. S. Ikoku and few others were in AG and NPC. This is the beauty of democracy. Again in the Second Republic, Zik had what was called NPN-NPP Accord and that brought political, economic and developmental fortunes to the Igbo nation. The First Republic was known as NPC-NCNC coalition.

In the area of what people call force, we have also tried to assert our sovereignty by way of secession from Nigeria and that resulted to 30 months bloody, barbaric and fratricidal war that cost us over two million people. In the end, we lost and the trauma of the loss has continued to hunt us till this day, especially psychologically on those who were not born at the time. In this dispensation, APGA came on board and we tried the opposition but failed.

We did not only fail but we equally lost focus. If you put all these together, what any discerning person will advise and advocate for the Igbo nation is a political alliance or accord that gives us participation in government as it was in the First and Second Republics. This is better than opposition and cannot be compared with war force. Then opposition is not one of the great attributes of any average Igbo person, politically and economically, because of our republican nature in socio-political life and adventurism in economic and other spheres of life.

In fact, our enterprise, we are constantly moving establishing and residing in other parts of the country. So, anything that would jeopardise the commercial, economic or business interest of the Igbo people who are domiciled in other places other than their states of origin, would not be accepted wholeheartedly by the same Igbo people. If you study and know your people well, then you will look for that political leadership that will be in tune with their nature. For the Igbo, that route is political alignment at the centre. If this is done, and I believe it is achievable, we can continue to sustain our people’s political consciousness until such a time an Igbo can now be elected to be Nigeria’s president.

Orji Kalu understands this very well and that was why he supported Obasanjo in 1999 against Alex Ekwueme. Obasanjo disappointed every person and Orji disagreed with him. What was the result? Orji’s businesses and economic interests were labelled for extermination. Slok Air banned. Hallmark Bank muzzled. His oil bloc licenses revoked. Even the Sun Newspaper was blacklisted by EFCC. Orji himself became the most victimised governor of the Obasanjo regime. Compare it now that Orji again agreed to be a part of the president Yar’Adua’s government of national unity. I am not saying that a bad government should not be opposed and I am not against a virile and purposeful opposition either.

I am talking of leading the Igbo to the top echelon of government through building alliances and understanding. And I can tell you that both APGA and Orji Kalu’s PPA have brought major recovery to Igbo nation after losing at all fronts when the war ended. For instance, today, we have an Inspector-General of Police who is Igbo. I am not talking of political zoning now because that will put him in South-South. We are talking of tribe and tongue, not zone or state.

Okiro is Igbo and he admits it whether private or publicly. Can anybody say that Ambassador Ralph Uwechue, the president-general of Ohanaeze say he is not Igbo because he is from Delta State. Today, we have a Chief of Defence Staff who is Igbo. For the first time since over the 100 years of Nigeria Customs, we now have a Comptroller-General who is Igbo. Some of these feats would have been considered as a heresy after the war for anybody to suggest that an Igbo person be given such high profile positions.
Nigerians are once more embracing the Igbo people again and we are gradually breaking the glass ceiling that prevented us from aspiring to certain heights in bureaucratic, administrative and political aspects of Nigeria’s life.