At the just concluded 2nd national convention of the United Progressive Party (UPP), held in Awka, Anambra state, eight aspirants for the fast approaching November 18, governorship election confirmed their intention to run on the platform of the UPP. OKEY CHRIS reports the jostle for the ticket
The 2nd National convention of United Progressive Party (UPP) has ended in Awka, the Anambra state capital with members emphasizing their willingness and readiness for restructuring, self determination, self reliance and participatory democracy if given opportunity to lead the country.
Our correspondent who covered the event reported that the party used the convention to unveil its eight gubernatorial aspirants for Anambra November 18, gubernatorial election namely; Chief Osita Chidoka, former Aviation Minister; Chief Ifeanyi Okonkwo; Prince Ifeanyi Ezechukwu; Nze Ugonadi Onwuka; Hon. Chudi Offodile, an ex-two term Federal House of Representatives member; Ejike Okafor Obumeneke; Barr Paul Chukwudi Obianaso; and Nze Ugonadi Onwuka.
Among the UPP National, Zonal and State officers present at the National Convention were the party’s National Chairman and founder, Chief Chekwas Okorie; national secretary of the party, Alhaji Sodeeq Masalla; Ejike Uche, Deputy National Chairman (South); Chief Ogbuehi Dike, National Publicity Secretary, and others.
UPP, it would be recalled, was founded in 2012 by Chekwas Okorie after unsuccessful years of battling to reclaim his mandate as founder and National Chairman of All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), stolen from him by Chief Victor Umeh, shortly after the party won a Supreme Court judgment affirming its candidate, Peter Obi as the winner of Anambra 2003 governorship election, INEC previously declared Chris Ngige of PDP as winner.
Okorie’s earlier attempts to form United Progressive Peoples Alliance (UPGA), was scuttled by leadership of APGA and others through countless petitions to INEC, wherein they argued that UPGA and APGA sounds alike and would likely generated undue confusion among the citizenry. The petitioners also pointed out that UPGA’s logo which is ‘Rising sun’ (an emblem for Biafra) was unpatriotic and near treason.
Unrelenting, Okorie’s UPP like APGA whose logo and title are “Igbo Rooster” and “Be Your Brothers/Sisters keeper,” has as its logo, Tiger’s Head, a historical king of the forest with deep connotations within the South East and South South part of the country, while “Love and Unity” are its motto.
Welcoming the delegates, the Chairman of the National Convention Committee, Mr Uchenna Amaku, hinted that it was a step forward in the collective effort to rebrand, reposition, restructure and reorganise UPP with a view to winning future elections in Nigeria starting with the forthcoming governorship election in Anambra State scheduled to hold on November 18, 2017.
According to him, “UPP is founded to promote the best democratic ideals and traditions, strict practice of internal party democracy, acceptability, uphold citizenship rights, equality, justice and fair play among other international best practices. We shall at all times uphold these laudable objectives and ideals of our great party that have attracted numerous Nigerians into our fold.”
Addressing the gathering, the UPP National Chairman, Chief Chekwa Okerie slammed the All Progressive Congress (APC) led federal government for politically defrauding unsuspecting Nigerian electorate in the 2015 general election.
The former National Chairman of APGA, who was also the 2015 Presidential hopeful of UPP, reeled that “the most charitable thing we can say about the all progressive congress government of Nigeria is that it has divided Nigeria along premordial cleavages more than any government before it. APC has frequently brought Nigeria to near disintegration”.
“Nigeria is in dire need for genuine change having been politically defrauded by a political party that canvassed True Federalism while it sought for votes of trusting Nigerians but in a very unscrupulous and unconscionable manner jettisoned its avowed article of faith, and foisted on hapless Nigerian citizens the worst form of nepotism, reductionism, lethargy, cluelessness and retrogression” Okorie added.
While maintaining that UPP is the foremost and the most credible opposition political party in Nigeria today that is rancour free without the possibility of factionalisation, Okorie added that the reputation is made possible by the discipline of the party members, the uprightness, transparency, credibility of the party leadership and internal democracy in the party.
That was even as he charged Nigerians to stop panicking whenever they heard the name Biafra, which according to him, are law abiding citizens guarded by both Nigerian constitution and International law (United Nations chatter) that recognise indigenous people.
The National Chairman further revealed that before the contraption of Nigeria, the country was made up of mainly indigenous people and empires, hence the reason, UPP upgraded its aims and objectives in article six of the party constitution, while chapter two of the party manifesto emphasized “our main policy trust in Self Determination, True Federalism, Devolution of Power, Resource Control, Referendum, State Police/Community Policing, Citizenship Rights, Unconditional Release of Prisoners of Conscience etc”.
“Let nobody be afraid when he hears Biafra or when he or she is associated with it because Nigeria has indigenous peoples. Nobody should be afraid of saying he is a Biafran. If people embrace UPP core values, those issues that pose threat of disintegration of Nigeria will disappear. This convention observed international best practices. It went very successful and commendable. I therefore wish to commend members for their exemplary conduct during the proceedings,” he noted.
Okorie’s comments on Biafra sparked applause and chants of Biafra songs by party faithfuls, core Biafrans (most of whom were with Biafra flags, uniform and other insignia) and life bands present at the occasion.
Analysts see Biafra as political ideology UPP has adopted its founder, Okorie did named APGA Igbo party as well as presented the 2003 President flag of the party to the departed Biafra warlord, Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu.
Perhaps, the ideology could be a blessing in disguise to UPP on Anambra 2017 gubernatorial election, having secured sixth position on Anambra November 16, 2013 gubernatorial poll, and produced a Councillor in Onitsha north during the state 2013 Local Government election.
Be that as it may, Blueprint observed that UPP, during the convention ratified three motions which the party’s National Chairman noted to have “Put our great party in the firm position to tackle the challenges of our present and future democratic encounters in Nigeria and a more efficient management of the party’s internal democratic process”.
The amendments were on article 10 (4) (xii) of the party to expand the delegates to state congress and ratification of harmonized national, zonal, state, local government and ward working committees of the party pending the next election convention of the party.
In an address earlier, the national secretary of the party, Alhaji Sodeeq Masalla, said that the party has gathered numerous membership due to its internal democracy and discipline.
Later, the eight gubernatorial aspirants of the party in Anambra were giving opportunity to address the party faithful. Chief Osita Chidoka, who was first to mount the podium, says he was moved to join the party due to its philosophies such as freedom, equity and justice, even as he called on other well meaning Nigerians to join the moving train to restructure the country.
On his part, Chief Ifeanyi Okonkwo, while describing the party as agenda setting, which has come to set the pace for others to follow in the country polity, asked them to be gender sensitive and also create more avenue for women and youth emancipation.
To Prince Ifeanyi Ezechukwu, UPP has a divine mandate to set Nigeria free from bad leadership, injustice and inequality in leadership and other positions, and engender quality development.
Speaking also, Nze Ugoadi Onwuka, commended UPP for believing in Biafra self determination, which according to him, would enable all and sundry to utilise the various hidden potential and talents for socio-economic development and industrial revolution.
Similarly, Hon Chudi Offodile, assured that Nigeria would go far if it adopts UPP Biafra’s ideology, which according to him seek to empower every Nigeria to be self-reliant, innovative and creative.
“I am for freedom, equity and justice for all. I am for self reliance, innovation and technological advancement. I stand for participatory democracy, decentralization of power and the right of self determination for all indigenous people of Nigeria. Blessed are those who are proud to be called Biafrans,” he added.
On his part, Ejike Okafor Obumneke, while positing that Nigeria has gone from good to bad and worst as a result of relegating the youth to background, challenged the country to follow the path of UPP to witness massive socio-economic development..
Adding his voice, Barr Paul Chukwudi Obianaso, acknowledged UPP as the party every Anambrarian was waiting to liberate him/her from poverty and visionless government.
