All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), has warned that its governorship ticket for the December 2013, election in Anambra State is not for sale.
The party also warned of misrepresentation of its resolutions or activities by some unscrupulous elements, stressing that it still stands by its decision to suspend the embattled former National Chairman of the Party, Chief Victor Umeh and erstwhile National Secretary, Alhaji Sani Shinkafi has not been lifted.
The party which spoke though its acting National Chairman, Alhaji Sadeeq Masalla specifically described the recent claim by Chief Umeh that he has been reinstalled as the National Chairman of APGA as completely untrue and mere propaganda aimed at deceiving uninformed people.
Alhaji Masalla, who emerged the acting Chairman of APGA following the suspension of Chief Umeh few months ago, assured that APGA would duly organize a party primary in line with its constitution, where the governorship flag bearer of the party for the Anambra election would emerge.
Both Anambra and Imo States upstaged the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and are presently under the control of APGA with Mr. Peter Obi and Owelle Rochas Okorocha as governors respectively.
The party’s leadership maintained that the governorship ticket would go to anybody that truly deserves to fly their flag and not to the highest money-bag bidder, as is being bandied about by some people.
Masalla, while clarifying that he is not averse to any peace moves, stressed however that “such move must be genuine, sincere and sustainable”.
The acting National Chairman, Alhaji Masalla further explained to newsmen that any peace move, which leaves Chief Victor Umeh and Alhaji Sani Shinkafi as National Chairman and Secretary respectively, cannot be acceptable to the greater majority of the APGA members, who had removed him at a duly convened National Executive Council (NEC) meeting of the party.
He dismissed the recent claim by Chief Umeh that some National Working Committee (NWC) members of the party, who decamped from his (Masalla’s) group), have returned to the other group (Umeh faction) and that they have resolved to re-instate him (Umeh) as the National Chairman.
Alhaji Masalla, who was accompanied by other NWC members of the party to the press briefing, explained that it has become imperative to make the clarification so as to, “give our position on the number of comedies produced and presented to the unsuspecting Nigerians recently by the suspended National Chairman of our party, Chief Victor Umeh.
“In the episode, Victor Umeh was said to have paraded some set of people, who he said were National Working Committee members who decamped from our group to his and that they have all agreed that the battle is over and that he, the suspended National Chairman, has been reinstalled.
“The whole show, being a comedy, has served out its purpose, which is mere entertainment. For the avoidance of doubt and for the benefit of those who may have taken the comedy on its face value, we are not averse to any peace move, but such a move must be genuine, sincere and sustainable. It can not be achieved by propaganda or public deceit.
“There should be an end to propaganda especially when it touches on the very essence of our party’s existence.
“Any peace move, which leaves Victor Umeh and Sani Shinkafi as National Chairman and Secretary, is not a peace move as it is not sustainable and is therefore unacceptable to the greater majority of our party members.
“The party is not at war with itself or with anybody, all we said is that Chief Victor Umeh and Alhaji Sani Shinkafi have been suspended and they stand suspended. They should give way to allow for general re-organization and sustainable peace in our party.
“Chief Umeh has been in office for eight solid years and Sani Shinkafi has been there for nearly eleven years. Within these years, they have committed many atrocities that have stunted the growth of our party, which we encapsulated in the 13-point allegation against them. APGA is not their fathers’ estate or their private property”, he said.
Alhaji Masalla pointed out that only one person has so far defected to the Chief Umeh camp, but stressed that at a meeting in Enugu which was convened by the party’s Board of Trustees (BoT), it was clear who was in-charge of the party’s leadership.
He however assured that the crisis rocking APGA would not in any way affect its chances of winning the Anambra State governorship election slated to hold in December next year.
“All we are doing now is to rebuild our party and prepare for election in Anambra State in 2013 and the 2015 general election.
“We shall soon embark on a nationwide tour to sensitize and mobilize our members preparatory to our party congresses; the national convention; the December 2013 governorship election in Anambra State and the general elections in 2015,” he said.
