By Ewache Ajefu
The African People’s Congress (APC) has described the “APC Rally” held in Owerri by what it says is a non -existing Political movement called All Progressive Congress as a show of shame and brazen assault to ambush the Nigerian judiciary .
A statement signed by the acting National Secretary of the rival party, Barrister Sa’ed Blalogun and made available to Newsdiaryonline in Abuja said beside legality, the so-called rally was a wasteful jamboree strictly designed to bolster the sagging morale of the merger partners who are presently facing a bleak political future in their evidently preposterous political adventure, while the Imo public continue to suffer the profligate excesses of Governor Rochas Okorocha.
The party also said since the ‘APC’ registration and acronym controversy is a matter still pending in the court of law, the rally therefore sign-posts a reckless descent towards anarchy, reflecting such desperation that blinds objectivity.
The statement further said it was not surprising that Imo state Governor, Okorocha, the host of the said rally, is famed for his penchant for lawlessness and chronic disdain for the rule of law.
“Okorocha’s recklessness and executive rascality knows no end, just like that of his co-travellers whose only motivation for the “All Progressive Congress” project is the burning desire to cling unto power beyond their usefulness”.
“We are not unaware of their desperate gambit; to procure a ridiculous injunction from a state High Court ordering INEC to register the All Progressive Congress and in turn, to rush off with the order to INEC and to their cronies already positioned at INEC to execute the order without legal scrutiny, clinging on the black market order to fraudulently register their contraption as a political party”.
The party assures Nigerians that this will also fail like all their previous black market purchases from INEC and elsewhere.
It also said that a people whose idea of governance and democracy largely borders on ‘buying and selling’, adding that they are either buying or selling: mandates, thugs, instruments of violence; court judgments, legislative motions, resolution and even impeachment. It will not also be far from the truth to infer that most of their partners know more about the festering terrorism in Nigerian northern states than they care to talk about”.
The party further stated that a brief look at the profile of the ‘Progressive Governor’ who hosted the rally, tells the ugly story of racketeering in governance.
“While Okorocha was receiving a (curious ) award from NLC on May 1, 2013, the same group in their May Day address listed arrears of unpaid salaries being owed staff of Imo Broadcasting Corporation (IBC), Imo Newspapers, Imo Concorde Hotel, Oguta Lake Motel to mention a few”.
“And while eight industrial unions under the Joint Negotiating Council were on strike for the alleged criminal deduction of 1percent of the salaries of Imo workers by the state government for undisclosed reasons, Okorocha hosted eight pathetic governors whose only work and obsession in their various states is their re-election for 2015; hosting them to a jamboree that would further impoverish Imo workers”.
“It is indeed, a wonder how unconscionable and self-sided these emergency ‘progressives’ could be when one further considers the fact that Okorocha who seeks to erroneously brand himself the people’s governor is the same governor who totally ignored Imo workers sacked from Abia state despite a record 52 representations made to him by the group”.
“It was only until they dressed in all-black attires and openly shed heart-rending tears on May Day that Okorocha found space in his ‘progressive’ heart to ‘console’ them with more lies and bogus claims”.
It however warned that the African People’s Congress (APC) shall not tolerate the oppression and suppression of the people using its ‘APC’ acronym as a brand for executive mischief in various states of the federation.
All the more, the African People’s Congress would neither stand aside and watch the brinkmanship of INEC nor excuse the Commission’s romance with strange bedfellows whose grand standing and posturing amount to crude assault on the rule of law and constitutionality.
The leadership of the African People’s Congress has accordingly resolved to embark on a One-Million-Man protest march in Abuja to call to order, those dubious officials of INEC who have made themselves willing tools in the hands of anti-democratic elements who believe democracy and good governance can only be on their terms.
It said ‘the defining moments of the battle to save our democracy shall commence from next week as we are battle ready to monitor and ensure that nobody stampedes INEC into stealing our legal name which we are already at the verge of validating with the help of the Judiciary, where the injustices meted to us by INEC shall be reversed. The world and all of us at APC are going to watch and see how the merging desperadoes shall be humbled as INEC have no option than to stand on the side of the rule of law and reject any baseless application to merge in a name which its application process is subject of an advanced litigation process.
‘INEC must be vigilant and desist from making itself a veritable instrument in the plot to derail democracy, rule of law and plunge our country into anarchy and lawlessness,’the group said.
