When we founded APGA,our vision was to found an all-embracing Igbo party

May we know you Sir?

My name is Onyeibo Dazza Udeozo. What else do I say? I am from Anambra State and a strong member, in fact one of the foundation members of APGA.

As a foundation member, you must have shared the original vision of APGA. Would you say the vision is still alive?

When we founded APGA, under the leadership of Chief Chekwas Okorie and guidance of Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu, our vision was to found an all-embracing Igbo party that would go beyond Igbo land and accommodate people from all parts of the country. Today, due to selfishness of some of the members, from the highest quarters, the party is not growing as it should. This informs the universal call for the restructuring of the party, which I support. It is not good for the party to revolve around one person. How can one person be the Chairman, the spokesperson, the publicity Secretary, everything? Our Board of Trustees is supposed to be made up of 24 members, but right now it has only one member. Who are the members of the National Working Committee and what their pedigree. For us to be a strong party, we must have quality Igbos in the party to make it attractive to others from other parts of the country. This is what we mean by restructuring. It is aimed to make the party responsive to the needs of the time and not cocooned in the body of one person.

Still on formation of APGA, can you tell us who played what part amidst different claims?

So many people contributed. Even myself, I contributed in my own little way. But the story of APGA will not be complete if we do not talk about Dim-Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu, Chief Chekwas Okorie and Governor Peter Obi. These are the tripod of APGA and cannot be changed by sophistry.

What did they do?

Ojukwu was easily the moving spirit behind it; Chekwas Okorie was an engine Ojukwu drove, while Peter Obi could be likened to the fuel, because he was the sole sponsor of APGA till a few disgruntled elements started to rebel against him for reasons that easily border on selfishness.

Where is Chief Victor Umeh in this?

Yes, Chief Umeh was a foundation member, but not part of the inner caucus that took decisions. Just as I said that I contributed to the formation of APGA, he contributed too. He used to be in the PDP. He became prominent when Mr. Peter Obi insisted he should become the Chairman after the initial problems with Chekwas. So, actually, it was the Governor that made him the Chairman.

Talking about Obi being the fuel, would you expatiate?

Yes, though Ojukwu drove the engine that was Chekwas. Without fuel, no matter how experienced a driver is, the vehicle will not move. Obi provided the funding that made APGA to take off. One example is the fact that he paid for the office of APGA in Anambra State and provided other logistics. He provided his House at Abuja for use as Abuja office.

He did so many things for APGA. In fact, in 2002, he paid for the overseas trip of APGA officials, including Chief Victor Umeh, to attend World Igbo Congress Convention at Houston, Texas, which was actually the first overseas trip by most of them. I remembered I missed the trip because we were not considered among the first 11 at that time.

What you are saying is contrary to Umeh's position of having, according to him, single handedly brought Obi into APGA?

I will be more comfortable speaking on APGA and politics generally rather than concentrating on personalities.

The problem in APGA today revolves around some personalities that mentioning their names is inevitable. Take for instance, Chief Victor Umeh who accuses Gov. Obi daily of being the architect of the failure of APGA, he even….

(Cuts in) I can assure you that 99% of what Victor Umeh says today are falsehoods and he himself knows that. Two people that made Obi in APGA are Chief Chekwas Okorie and Maxim Okwu. At that time Umeh was just a struggling man fresh from his work as a Personal Assistant to Chief Joseph Okonkwo (Ofiadulu), a popular politician and Treasurer to the PDP as Afiadulu's candidate.

The claim by Umeh that he introduced Peter Obi to APGA is a ruse. We are insiders, we knew what happened. That he was part of the meeting were certain things were done is not enough to claim I did this or I did that as he presently does. The problem with some people is that they easily forget where they are coming from and the lesson for all of us in this is that sudden wealth and power corrupt and make us to see ourselves as tin gods. As an insider, I can tell you that Obi did not know Victor Umeh from Adam, their paths did not cross until Mr. Alfred Nwosu, a refined gentleman, introduced him to Obi. In turn, Obi introduced him to his wealthy friends. Today, laughable though, he even claims he was the one who introduced Obi to them, people like Okey Ezeibe and Emma Bishop Okonkwo.

But Chief Umeh believes and says that he was the one that made Obi?

I also heard him say that on Channels. Well, that is another episode in the understanding of human nature. As at the time Obi came to contest the governorship election, Victor Umeh was the Personal Assistant to Chief Joseph Okonkwo (Ofiadulu). At that time, Obi was already a Director/Chairman of many companies, including either three or four Banks. At that time he had houses even in London. Was it not after he became the Chairman of APGA that he moved from the flat paid for him by Offiadulu at Anam Street to one of the best mansions in the East? Was it not the same Offidulu that bought his first car for him and subsequently the Governor bought the second one. If he wants to tell lies, he should tell believable ones. Those of us in APGA are forced to remember all this because of the man's total lack of respect for the Governor. Even if not for politics, Obi is far in a different class from Chief Victor Umeh. He must be told now that we are no longer ready to tolerate his lack of respect for the office of the Governor of Anambra State. In all circumstances, there is still minimum standard of decency we must not go beyond.

To tell you what Victor was in 2003, he was one of those, including myself, recruited and paid by Chief Nwobu Alor, Obi's Campaign Manager as Obi's agent in 2003 election.

We cannot sustain APGA through deliberate campaign of calumny against Obi because somebody is jealous of his rising political profile. There are certain things among us that are difficult to understand. Today obi is celebrated in Nigeria and even internationally, all what some of his people do is to try and belittle him. This is tragic and unfortunate. In saner places, APGA will continue to hold him up as our face.

How can Victor Umeh substantiate most of his claims in the light of the truth? How can he brag that he introduced Obi to the Church, when Obi's immediate elder sister is a Rev. Sister and immediate younger brother a Rev. Father?

I have heard him say “I did this, I did that”, this is a sign of acute ego problem. If there are people who should talk in such a manner, it is Chekwas Okorie, Dim Chukwuemka Odumegwu-Ojukwu, Maxi Okwu. Chekwas set the committee that chose Peter Obi as APGA candidate, while Maxi Okwu headed the committee. I recall when he was reading his report, he said Obi was chosen because of his financial capacity and his rich pedigree and history of uncommon integrity and humility.

Some people say they lost so much because of support for Obi and that he does not appreciate it.

This is again Victor Umeh's language. I laughed when he said he rejected being appointed as a Commissioner because he was fighting for Obi. Who offered him that? It is easy to claim anything. Why did he not make it public to us doing the struggle? If Obi says he was offered a Ministerial post or the money he spent in election to be given back to him for him to stop his tribunal case against Ngige, one will easily believe him because he told us when all those offers were made and why he rejected them all. For somebody to now start telling us offers he alone was privy to is suspect.

Let me take this opportunity to say it is an insult for Umeh to remind us that we have not benefitted from Obi. When he was building his mansion and acquiring property everywhere, both within and outside the country, why did he not remind us then? What he is doing is like an oval shaped man, with checks as plumb as that of bulldog, teaching us the virtues of mortification.

What would you say to the claim by Umeh that he was responsible for Obi's coming back from impeachment?

I would prefer other questions to this Umeh this, Umeh that. If you listened to him closely and study what he did during the impeachment, you will conclude that he cannot be entirely removed from it. We were all there. I was close to the Deputy Governor to Dame Virgy Etiaba. Within two months of Etiaba as Governor, he gave Prado Jeep and huge sums of money to Chief Victor Umeh and awarded some contracts Umeh knew about. Because of this, Umeh told everybody that Obi's 6 months was a disaster, because what she gained from Etiaba in one month were bigger than what he gained from Obi in 6 months. I am talking of personal gain

It is not enough to say he brought Obi back from impeachment, let him tell us how many times he visited him during impeachment if he sympathized with him.

He confided in some of those that visited him, that is Umeh, during the impeachment that it was time up for Obi, simply because of a jeep, some cash and contracts he was aware of. He was every inch against Obi but when Obi came back, he started dancing at the centre stage, pretending to have single handed resolved the impeachment. If Obi were like others, he would long have distanced himself from people like him.

In fact, I read his tribute to Ojukwu and saw how he claimed that he was instrumental to Obi coming to Government House on the day he won impeachment case to take over. This was far from the truth, as soon as victory was secured, Umeh advised Obi's supporters to stay in Enugu and wait for him and Ojukwu, who were at the House of Late Clement Akpangbo on condolence. It was Ojukwu who, when told that the Tribunal said Obi should take over immediately, urged him to come straight to Government House, but Umeh would always want to ascribe all noble deeds to himself and himself alone.

Are you saying that all he said he did, including championing Obi's second tenure was a ruse?

Let me be frank with you. Gov Obi is not a conventional politicians, he would not use states' money to settle politicians. All of us, including Victor and I were against him. Nobody, but only Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu wanted him for a second tenure. After everything, mostly falsehoods people would tell Ojukwu against him, he would always keep saying that Peter should be supported for being an uncommon politicians. Ojukwu was about the only person that wanted him because he was truly serving the people, others did not want him because he was not serving them.

Clearly, Umeh was against Obi coming back for a second tenure. It was only through Obi's personal intervention through the then President, Alhaji Musa Yar'Adua that the situation was saved. Prof Maurice Iwu is still alive today, he can attest to that. In fact Obi's nomination form was signed by Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu.

Even when we started campaign proper, Umeh was scarcely seen. He only attended about 3 campaigns amidst over 100 campaigns. Check the records and you will see that Obi and his wife transversed all the villages in Anambra State.

As for the tenure interpretation case Obi's legal team headed by Dr. Onyechi Ikpeazu should take most of the glory.

I am saying all this to show you that Obi worked hard for his re-election. Even when Ojukwu urged Anambra people to vote for him as his last wish, they put him under pressure to renounce. We know all this. The same people are prancing about on how they made Obi to become Governor.

In fullest of time, the truth shall be told. Even as part of efforts to stop Obi, it was the same Victor Umeh that deceived Ojukwu's son into resigning as a Commissioner under Obi, all in the bid to get Ojukwu to withdraw his support. But the wise old man knew Obi was out to serve the people. During one of the meetings, he almost worked some people out of his house for always insisting Obi should concentrate on individual wants rather than provision of good governance.

If you may recall, there was a time Ojukwu attended Emeka Etiaba's rally, at meeting to review the situation, Victor encouraged Obi go on air and denounce Ojukwu in harsh words. You know it would have been catastrophic for Obi. It was later that it was discovered that it was another plot to set Ojukwu against Obi. They deceived Ojukwu to believe that Obi was no longer interested in second term, which was not true and which was why he attended Etiaba's campaign rally.

How would you rate Obi's support or lack of it for APGA?

Obi was a lonely son that had a lot of responsibilities, including sustenance of APGA. We are aware that he was giving something monthly for APGA, both at national and State levels. The question is how was the monthly money for running the party utilized?

What of empowerment of APGA faithful?

Again, the same people that benefitted the more from this are the ones crying. Look at Victor Umeh who used to live in a flat now own mansions all over the State, including two in his hometown of Aguluzigbo. The man is now flying Business Class with his family and yet he has not gained anything. Before Obi the man functioned as PA to Ofiadulu, but today he moves with his own security men and convoy and yet he cries of not being empowered – who is deceiving who?

Most of the contracts for the empowerment of APGA people were handled by him the way he wanted and we all knew what happened. He had his hand in all pies to the extent that he even imposed sub-contractors on main contractors. I am not guessing, I have my facts.

What can you say about the accusation that Obi hardly remembers APGA people for appointments?

Yes and no, No because in the last EXCO that was dissolved, Victor Umeh was instrumental to the appointment of 7 Commissioners and many Board Members. He did this in the name of bringing APGA people for appointment. I will be comfortable if that accusation comes from another person and not from Victor, who gained everything and only now want to pitch Obi against others by raising such issues.

In the last EXCO appointment he did not have hand in, you see Obi appointed party faithful. Today, we have those that contested elections under APGA as Executive Council members.

How may the crisis facing APGA be resolved?

All I can say is that everybody should search his conscience. We had a governor that took care of APGA , why did they not rebel against him until we produced another Governor? It is unfair. What they are doing appear to be a coordinated efforts to demonize the Gov by appealing to the emotions of the people. It will not work.

Is it true that who produces the next Governor in Anambra State is part of the problem?

Yes it is. APGA, including Chief Victor Umeh said it would be the turn of Anambra North Senatorial Zone for they had not done so since the State was created. I understand that due to money given to some people they turned round to repudiate the agreement. Where is honour in this? We are consoled that the Governor has insisted that the agreement should be kept. I like his position, which is in form of prayers to God to bring among Anambra people, a person who is better than him as the next Governor. This should be the prayer of all of us and not a person who will pay us monthly rent from the money of the people of the State. If we do, how can all this work Obi is doing be sustained? This is the challenge.

How would you react to the interview garnted by Chief Umeh at Agulu saying that Obi was the problem of APGA and that…

I read the interview in question. I cannot recount all he said only that he merely made it clear to people to stop dealing with him or if they must, to be careful because he is a blackmailer of the first order. Simple!

Finally, what is the future of APGA?

A. I think the future is bright. By the time the restructuring we are clamouring for is completed, APGA will be a party we all shall be proud of.

Mazi Odera
Truth is our standard,accept it in good faith or
we shove it down your throat.The Choice is yours.