The Abia chapter of the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) has said that the founding national chairman of the party, Chief Chekwas Okorie, is no longer a member.
Reacting on the authentic national leadership of the party, the state chairman of the party, Rev. Augustine Ehiemere, alleged that Okorie was expelled in 2003 for anti-party activities and embezzlement of party funds.
“He (Chekwas Okorie) was expelled in 2003 for anti-party activities and embezzlement of party funds.And a few years after his expulsion, he floated the United Peoples Grand Alliance in 2012,” he said.
Ehiemere further said Okorie later joined the All Progressives Congress but did not last long in the party.
The APGA chieftain said it was preposterous for Okorie to turn around to claim to be the party’s presidential flag bearer.
He said: “For record purposes, Chekwas Okorie is not a member of APGA let alone being its presidential candidate.
“He has lost his political value and credibility as far as Nigerian politics is concerned.
“All his efforts now is to see how he can eke a living by joining Chief Edozie Njoku to parade themselves as the National Chairman and presidential candidate of APGA, respectively.
“They are both aware that their claims are false and fraudulent.”Ehiemere described Okorie and Njoku as “political impostors, who want to reap where they have not sown”.
He said that Chief Ike Oye and Prof. Peter Umeadi remained the authentic national chairman and presidential candidate of the party, respectively.
“APGA has only one presidential candidate for the 2023 general elections, Prof. Peter Umeadi, who emerged from a special national convention of the party held in Abuja in June,” he said.
Ehiemere said the name of Okorie, who hails from Alayi in Bende Local Government Area of Abia, “is not in the APGA’s ward register”.
He, therefore, warned the public to beware of Okorie and Njoku, alleging that they were being used by the enemies of APGA to cause confusion and distract Oye.
He expressed the party’s unalloyed loyalty to Oye’s chairmanship.He said that his leadership had raised APGA’s political profile, making it the first and only political party in the country to own a National Secretariat in Abuja.
“Therefore, Abia APGA passes a vote of confidence on the National Working Committee of our great party, led by Chief Victor Oye.
“This is to appreciate the committee for its resilience, doggedness and astuteness in piloting the affairs of the party, which we hope to bring victory to us in 2023,” he said.
Meanwhile, Ehiemere and the party’s Legal Adviser, Mr Chukwuemeka Nwokoro, have described the alleged Supreme Court decision, declaring Njoku as the National Chairman of the party, as “non-existent”.
“No such Supreme Court decision exists anywhere. There is no such judgment by the apex court. It all emanated from their fraudulent intentions to cause confusion in the party,” Nwokoro said.
He challenged Njoku to institute a contempt suit against APGA, Oye and INEC, if he was sure of any such Supreme Court’s decision.
