Okorie declares Edozie Njoku as authentic APGA chairman



Factional presidential candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Dr Chekwas Okorie, has stated that the party’s rival national chairman, Dr. Victor Oye, has no claim to any lawful national convention which legitimised his emergence for his a second term in office since 2019. 

Okorie, founder and first national chairman of the party said, “the 2019 national convention of APGA held at Owerri, Imo state, elected Chief Edozie Njoku as national chairman alongside others as  members of the National Working Committee (NWC).

At a press conference in Abuja on Monday, Okorie stated that the Federal High Court in Abuja had affirmed the election of Njoku-led NWC as lawful and binding, urging the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to avoid being accused of aiding and abetting the extinction of APGA.

According to Okorie, “the candidature of those whose names and particulars have been submitted to INEC by Dr. Victor Oye are not sustainable and cannot stand the test of judicial scrutiny.”

He maintained that “Chief Edozie Njoku is the obvious beneficiary of the corrected version of the judgment of the Supreme Court duly signed by the presiding Hon. Justice Mary Ukaego Peter-Odili and certified by the Registrar of the Supreme Court. 

“Dr. Victor Oye had enjoyed the recognition of INEC based on the earlier version of the judgment that contained the mistake. It is appropriate Chief Edozie Njoku must not be denied similar recognition by the commission soon after the correction was made by the apex court.   

“INEC, is advertently or inadvertently arming other rival political parties with weapons to challenge APGA victories in the 2023 general election on the ground of invalid nomination process. 

“INEC should avoid being accused of aiding and abetting the extinction of APGA.

Since the tenure of Professor Chukwuma Soludo is secure, having taken the oath of office as the Governor of Anambra state on the 17th of March, 2022 and therefore protected by the relevant provisions of the 1999 Nigerian Constitution (as amended) and since he is the de facto highest elected leader of APGA. 

“I urge him to intervene at this critical moment to save APGA from imminent peril. He is in the best position to rein in Dr. Victor Oye and bring him and the National Chairman, Chief Edozie Njoku to a roundtable to harmonize and regularise the nomination of APGA candidates for the 2023 general election. 

“If INEC continuous to prevaricate on APGA matter and Governor Chukwuma Soludo does not intervene, all APGA candidates will suffer avoidable double jeopardy.

“In view of the ominous implication to fate of the 2023 general election, in the event of excluding the authentic APGA from participating in the 2023 general election, l enjoin President Muhammadu Buhari, the leadership of the National Assembly, the Federal Ministry of Justice, pro-democracy organizations, political parties and other well-meaning Nigerians to weigh in this matter and call INEC to order before irreparable damage is done to Nigeria’s march to full blown and a respectable democracy in the world. 

APGA has been enmeshed in a leadership tussle which saw two factions of the party producing two presidential candidates.

While Victor Oye-led faction nominated Prof Peter Umeadi as its presidential flag bearer, Edozie Njoku’s faction produced Chief Okorie as its standard bearer.