APGA Peace Deal a Victory for Other Parties

The romantic kiss at government house Awka Anambra state yesterday between Peter Obi, the executive governor of Anambra State and Victor Umeh the national chairman of the All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, can best be described as a ground breaking celebration of victories for other political parties. This is because any peace deal that does not address the internal problem of the party will only succeed in exposing the party to failure as it will prepare the ground for other parties to benefit from APGA's misfortune.

The truth is that as long as INEC continues to recognize the executives of APGA thrown up by the 2011 national convention of the party any candidate of the party who wins election on the nomination of such executive stands to lose such mandate at the court of law. The issue is that any structure that does not stand on the dictate of the law cannot stand the test of times as law does not create room for anybody to benefit from illegality. If Obi, Umeh peace deal is one that allows Umeh led national executive of the party to continue piloting the affairs of the party including the conduct of the forthcoming elections in Anambra the consequences are that candidates on the ticket of the party may end up laboring in vain as their victories will surely be challenged by other parties and chances are that they may end up working for others.

. The APGA challenge has gone beyond a chummy relationship between Obi and his brother Umeh to addressing the pertinent issue that bothers on the very survival of the party. The fact remains that any peace move that does not address the anomalies in the party which is the credibility of its internal mechanisms like the national conventions will still amount to delaying the doom days. Though we have submitted to the ruling of the Enugu Appeal Court but we have equally noted that the ruling merely left the party bare for more challenges as it dwelt only on the locus standi of the complainant. It is indeed a judgment without justice. It did not state in any way that the 2011 national convention of APGA which is a pertinent issue was duly conducted according to its constitution and this is a time bomb waiting to explode at the right time. It is therefore our earnest conviction that any attempt to placate this constitutional issue now in the name of reconciliation will amount to laying a political land mind that will eventually bomb APGA out of existence. If we the members of APGA fail to be courageous enough to address this anomalies now, our opponent will do that for us later when we shall be most pained. For instance should APGA win the forthcoming elections in Anambra State, our opponents have enough legal ground to challenge it because our candidates cannot claim to have been validly nominated by duly elected organ of the party. Rather than dissipate energy on a grave yard peace move, Obi and Umeh are advised to join hand to persuade the Independent National Electoral Commission INEC, to rescue APGA from possible extermination by insisting that the party adheres strictly to the letters of its constitution just as it has encouraged PDP to do.

The electoral Act 2010 among other things empowered INEC to monitor activities of political parties particularly the congresses and conventions. Though INEC responsibility does not include directing political parties on how to go about its activities but it must ensure that such activities adhere to constitutional provisions of the party. In February 2011, the national convention of APGA took place in Awka, Anambra State. This was duly monitored by INEC. Article 18,sub.section (1)and (4) of the APGA constitution stipulates that election into the various offices of the party from the wards through the state to the national level must be by secret balloting.

INEC report on APGA convention of February 2011 in Awka tendered before the Enugu Appeal court that recently ruled on APGA crisis states that the convention was done by motion moved by Dr. Samson Olaleye, chairman, Oyo state and seconded by Prince Ukaegbu, Chairman, Abia and not by voting as stipulated by the party constitution. INEC report went further to expatiate on the motion that “the national executive committee of our great party in a meeting at Nicon Luxury Hotel, Abuja, December 1, 2010 recommended that the tenure of the reconstituted members of the national working committee, NWC be renewed for another four years.” The motion further urged that the tenure of the recommended officers be renewed by the national convention at Awka. INEC still explained in its report that the nominated members of the NWC were later presented to the delegates, “thereafter the motion was put to vote and was adopted by the voice vote of delegates. There was no dissension,” the report concluded.

Any peace that does not address this constitutional issues will at the end of the day spell doom for APGA.

Benard Akoma.
National Publicity Secretary,
APGA