The founder and pioneer National Chairman of the All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, Chekwas Okorie, has told Governor Chukwuma Soludo to quietly leave the party if he so wishes.
Chekwas said he has uncovered a strategy by the Anambra State Governor to destroy the party, on whose platform he was elected into office.
The APGA founder said the Governor had sworn to him that he would never accept or work with Edozie Njoku as the National Chairman of the party.
Addressing the press in Abuja on Tuesday, Okorie accused Soludo of sponsoring factions in the party, especially the one led by Victor Oyeh, despite the Supreme Court ruling that declared Njoku as the authentic Chairman of the party, a ruling that the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has since recognised.
NewsNow reports that INEC finally complied with the judgment of the Supreme Court delivered on 24th March 2023, enforced by the FCT High Court on 6th June 2023, and further re-enforced by the Court of Appeal on 28th June 2024, recognizing Njoku as the Chairman of the party.
However, Chekwas believes that this victory has come under vicious attack by Soludo, adding that the Governor recently announced in a public event in Anambra State that he had concluded arrangements while at Abuja to get the Supreme Court to reverse itself and get INEC to withdraw the recognition the Commission had given to Njoku and his executive.
“Professor Chukwuma Soludo has peddled the information among his close allies and the rebellious APGA faction working with him that he has secured the assurance of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu who he claimed pledged to influence the Supreme Court to review and reverse the judgment delivered on 24th March 2023 in favour of Chief Edozie Njoku,” he added.
“He further assured his faction of APGA that INEC would without delay withdraw the recognition given to Chief Njoku and his National Working Committee.
“Professor Soludo had boasted to me directly that he would use everything within his powers as the governor of Anambra State, to ensure that Chief Edozie Njoku would never be the National Chairman of APGA.
“He vowed that if for any reason he failed to stop Njoku from becoming National Chairman, he would resign from APGA within 24 hours and that APGA would cease to exist as a political party.
“At that point, I took strong exception to his boast. I told him that since he was not God who made APGA possible 22 years ago when it was registered by INEC as a political party, he lacked the power to determine the survival of APGA.
“Having secured an all-round victory for APGA in 3 different courts, Njoku has demonstrated maturity and magnanimity in victory.
“He has seized every opportunity both in private and public domains to stretch his hand of fellowship to Prof. Soludo and all members of APGA, irrespective of factional inclination, that the time to unite and rebuild the party has come.
“I know as well as so many well-meaning Nigerians that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is a thoroughbred democrat and a progressive politician who after winning his presidential election of 2023, patiently and diligently successfully defended the outcome of the election both at the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal and at the Supreme Court.
“They will not be the first to take that option and they will not be the last to do so. But to design a plot to collapse APGA into another party just to promote his personal political scheming and ambition is not only sacrilegious but an abomination that cries to high heaven.
“We call on all well-meaning Nigerians, especially, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, as the father of the nation to prevail on Soludo to rein in whatever that is propelling him to target APGA for destruction.
“I wish to repeat that Professor Chukwuma Soludo joined APGA voluntarily and is at liberty to exit the same way without attempting to destroy a house he did not build.”