APGA CRISIS: YOU CAN'T EXPEL ME, NWOBU-ALOR TELLS UMEH

By NBF News

The Special Adviser to the Governor of Anambra State on Parks and Markets, Sylvester Nwobu-Alor has described his expulsion from the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) as illegal.

Speaking with Daily Sun, he said in the past seven years, APGA had not conducted any congress at all levels, hence, the existing state executive that announced his expulsion was illegal.

Last week, the Anambra State Executive of the party, led by it's Acting Chairman, Ifeanyi Udokwu had announced the expulsion of Nwobu-Alor, Dr. Godson Emebo and Mr Simon Osita Okoli from the party for anti party activities.

But Nwobu-Alor, who is also a senior uncle to Governor Peter Obi of Anambra State told Daily Sun that his expulsion was illegal since no executive had been elected through the process of a congress.

According to him: 'For the past seven years, no congress has been conducted either at the ward, local government state Therefore, no state executive legally exists. The people who announced my expulsion were handpicked by Victor Umeh to tarnish my image and that of the governor. They do not have the power to do so because you cannot have a state executive without the due process of a congress.

'If an expulsion is to take place, there is a process through which it should be done. Firstly, I should be invited by a panel officially to appear before it, then I will reply, after which I will have to come personally to defend myself.

'After that, the panel can make recommendations and the party will now have to confirm it. But as I speak, no letter has been written to me to appear before a panel, I just read about the expulsion on the pages of the paper.

'They claim that the governor is aware of the development, but I can assure you that the governor does not want to involve himself in the politics of the party. The government is not the same with the party and it should not be mixed. That is why it looks as if, the governor is silent.'

Also reacting to the development, the founder of APGA and it's former chairman, Chekwas Okorie, described the ongoing crisis in the party as pathetic, saying nemesis was at work.

Speaking with Daily Sun, he stated that the ongoing crisis was unfortunate and blamed it on the insincerity of those involved.

In his words: 'What is happening now is nemesis at work and it goes to establish the saying that all conspiracies have an expiry date. Umeh has the habit of blackmailing and running down his benefactors.

'I have always insisted that Umeh did not emerge chairman through a congress and that made his position illegal but unfortunately, Peter Obi supported him. Executives of a party only exist when there is a congress where they will be elected.

'I am not holding forte for Nwobu-Alor because they deserve each other. But what I maintain is that APGA as a party has it's own constitution, so you do not just wake up and expel someone for anti party activities.'

A disciplinary panel that will investigate the issue has to be set up and the person accused will be given the opportunity to appear before it and defend himself. When that is done, the panel will make recommendations and the party will take it's decisions based on that.

'Unfortunately, that was not done and it is typical of Umeh. Peter Obi thought he had an ally in his statesman and gave him all the support by elevating him from abject poverty to stupendous wealth, today Obi is his victim.

'It was six years after Obi's election that Umeh realised that Local Government elections had not been held. He is now denying that he was not being given N20 million monthly, but he did not say how much he was being given.

Rochas Okorocha should be careful because Umeh now sees him as the new kid on the block. But I assure you that he will eventually be treated the way Peter Obi, I and others who trusted Umeh were treated.'