By Obinna Odogwu
National Chairman of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Sly Ezeokenwa, has identified lack of ideologies by political parties as part of the factors responsible for Nigeria’s underdevelopment and poor economy.
Ezeokenwa, a lawyer, expressed this view in Awka, Anambra State capital, when the state’s council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) led by Dr Odogwu Emeka Odogwu as chairman paid him a courtesy call at the party’s regional secretariat.
The APGA boss reasoned that if political parties had identifiable ideologies, such would guide anyone of it which wins power to develop the country in line with its ideology and manifesto rather than as vehicles that they are serving politicians now as.
“In Nigeria, we found out that people have a distorted or warped view of what a political party is. People see political parties as just a vehicle to attain political power.
“And of course, if you enter a vehicle going to Enugu, once you get to Enugu you come down from the vehicle and then, where the vehicle is going is none of your business. The fact is that you are in Enugu.
“But in APGA, we see our party from a different view. We see our party as a movement of the masses. It may not have lived up to the expectations over the years, but I am certain that under my leadership we’re going to achieve that and even much more.
“Now, if you look at the name, it is All Progressives Grand Alliance, it is an alliance with all true progressives in Nigeria.
And as far as I am concerned, if you believe in Nigeria that works and if you’re a true progressive, the political party to join is APGA.
“I did say earlier on that people see political parties as just a vehicle to get to a particular destination. But it ought not to be so. A political party in every other clime in developed countries represents clearly defined ideology.
“And it is that ideology that resonates with the political party that people ought to identify with a particular political party. So, if you’re talking about APGA, what does APGA represent?
“So that you know that any government that APGA births, this is what you expect from that government. So, it is no longer a case that ‘oh, you are a leader or you are elected as governor or senator or a member of any of the legislative houses or even a president and then you go there and do as you like.
“And when political parties represent clearly defined ideologies, individuals or citizens identify with those ideologies, you will see that it will be difficult for you to move from one political party to another”, he said.