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Chief Edozie Njoku is presently the APGA Chairman as recognized by Law, in this interview with select journalists at Abuja, he bared his mind like never before on the state of affairs of the party, the battle with Oye, and the way forward for the party and South East only sure route to the presidency.
Excerpts
Question: Lets meet you and the way you will want to be addressed
Edozie Njoku: I am Chief Edozie Njoku, I am from Imo state,Mbaise Ikwuato, and the Onwa of Ibeku in Ikwuato Mbaise.
Question: By description, you are the National Chairman of APGA, according to the supreme court judgement as affirmed by the Federal High Court recently, today how do you see the crisis in APGA if there is any ?
Edozie Njoku: Well it’s a very good question, I personally don’t feel that there is any crisis in APGA, all I see, is that there is a large confusion in APGA. APGA has asked for an extension of time, which in that period of time, we will do our congresses and our conventions. Oye even with an interim orders from the court, decided to conduct congresses which where termed illegitimate and at the end of the day the same court I was taken to as a supposed criminal, as they said I forged supreme court papers, is the same court that looked at everything and gave judgement that I am the national chairman of the party, and that INEC should start recognizing me immediately. Presently, the contempt charges are being heard for not recognizing me. So logically, there is no crisis in the APGA. Because the Awka and Owerri conventions foreclosed themselves and Oye cant come back to bring another chairman of the party, so what is their problem? I want to insist that APGA does not have any crisis, rather what you see in the party is confusion being spearheaded by some elements in the party, what you term as crisis, I see as confusion and if it continues, it then means they deliberately want to kill the party, because they cant go back and do a congress or convention and anything that was said or done by Oye when there was an interim injunction on it, is null and void, unless Nigerians want to continue on this illegality, it is so simple and clear. It can not continue that way. Its either Nigeria has decided that they don’t want APGA or we sit down and move the party forward because everybody knows that for months now, the supreme court judgement agreed and acclaimed that the Owerrri convention was the validly recognized convention for the leadership of the party, so i wonder why they are causing havoc and messing up the party all over the country.
Question: APGA can be said to be an Igbo Party or a regional front for Ndi Igbo, is it possible for the vision, mandate, and dream of Dim Odimegwu Ojukwu, be sustained to move the party forward?
Edozie Njoku: Okay in my own opinion it's possible. But in the first instance as Nigerians, you can see that Nigerians are naturally and generally regional. I am not saying APGA is a regional party but its nationally regional. You saw how CPC faired? You saw how AD faired? You saw how ACN Faired? We are now seeing how APGA is faring. You should as well note that every region when they are a bit confused cry out , I use that word when they are a bit confused cry out through a regional front for that region to move forward, as our people say “ Ana esi na uno mara nma pu na ama” that charity begins at home. Tinubu used AD/ACN to ” maa nma tupu o puo na ama APC” Tinubu used AD/CAN to forge a front before going to APC, Buhari used the CPC ” maa nma tupu o puo na ama APC” before going to APC, when Igbos are bringing up folks like Orji Uzor Kalu, and others into APC without starting from the home front, that is why we are having the worst outing at national politics, and most times it results to disgrace. Every Igbo man knows, every yoruba man knows, every hausa man knows, that its only an igbo man that can speak for an igbo man, its only a yourba man that can speak for a yourba man and same applies to the hausa man in today's Nigeria , and its also better when its coming from a collective interest rather from an individual perspective, that is why they fail on their faces in APC, they will keep failing on their faces in PDP as well, until they understand that they should come forward not with the sentiments that we are Igbos, rather they need to organize themselves and breakout to the centre, what they represent as South Easterners. We need to state what our plans are, and tell Nigerians what we want to do for them, as no Nigerian can be President of Nigeria without a discussion, you have to discuss with other zones, as they are not scared of you, neither are they worried about you, to be able to allow you, for their people to give you their votes. Peter got votes, but there is what we call the “other votes” it will not come without a discussion.
Question: In the last general election, it seemed that APGA did not do well, how do you see APGA perform in the next election
Edozie Njoku: I was very worried going into the general election that APGA would have done even worse than it did, because of the confusion in the party. I love APGA so much, as I was the first vice chairman of he party. The major problem is the confusion in the party that made most people ponder on what is actually happening to the party, but in all we are coming out strong. I remain the national chairman of APGA and we are going to turn the party info what it should be. I am a law abiding citizen and I am optimistic that the law will take it course soon.