{"id":7694,"date":"2013-08-04T05:39:46","date_gmt":"2013-08-04T05:39:46","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/disnaija.com\/nigerian-newspapers\/apc-registration-casualty-apga-suspends-okorocha-imo-governor\/"},"modified":"2013-08-04T05:39:46","modified_gmt":"2013-08-04T05:39:46","slug":"apc-registration-casualty-apga-suspends-okorocha-imo-governor","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/disnaija.com\/apc-registration-casualty-apga-suspends-okorocha-imo-governor\/","title":{"rendered":"APC registration casualty: APGA suspends Okorocha, Imo governor"},"content":{"rendered":"
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. Okorocha: APGA has been compromised, sold to PDP<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

The All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) yesterday suspended the Imo State Governor, Owelle Rochas Okoroacha, from the party for gross anti party activities.<\/p>\n

Rising from an emergency National Executive Council (NEC) meeting yesterday in Abuja, the party said it unanimously decided to desolve the Imo State chapter of the party and that a 21-man committee would be appointed to oversee the party until a congress was held.<\/p>\n

According to a communique read by the the National Vice Chairman of APGA ((South-West), Alhaji Tayo Sowunmi, \u201cthe NEC unanimously resolved to suspend with immediate effect the governor of Imo State, Owelle Rochas Okoroacha from the party, for gross anti party activities, bordering on his involvement with the newly regsitered All Progressives Congress (APC) contrary to the clear provisions of the APGA constitution.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe NEC also unanimously resolved to dissolve the Imo State executive committee of APGA with immediate effect. A 21-man caretaker committee shall be appointed to run the affairs of the party in Imo pending the condiuct of state congress\u201d.<\/p>\n

The party approved the party\u2019s electoral guidelines for the Anambra State governorship primary election for 2013 and adjourned its next siting to August 31.<\/p>\n

Sowunmi said the party leaders discussed preparations for the Anambra gubernatorial election and approved guidelines for the exercise.<\/p>\n

He noted that barely three days after the party invited aspirants to declare interest in the race, 14 persons had already collected the expression of interest form, paying N10 million for men and N5 million for women.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have opened the sale of the expression of interest forms from July 29 and August 2 and by the close of work on August 2, 14 people have taken the expression of interest forms.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe people who have taken the expression of interest forms will be expected to pick the nomination forms and will be screened and face the primaries.<\/p>\n

The forms for the males go for N10 million and to encourage women to actively participate they will pay N 5 million.\u201d Sowumi said the NEC again restated it was not part of APC as some of their governors have mischevously made it a point of duty to include the APGA logo in their advertorials.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe had demanded an apology from Governor Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State, the payment of N20 billion, and Alhaji Tanko Almakura repeated the same thing in a national daily and we will be demanding the sum if N5 billion from him.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe call on all the parties that are involved in the Anambra State government polls to stick to the code of conduct signed with the Independent National Electoral Commission and shun all acts capable of causing confusion during the elections.<\/p>\n

Speaking shortly after the NEC meeting, National Chairman of APGA, Chief Victor Umeh, said the meeting was summoned to prove that the party\u2019s crisis had come to an end.<\/p>\n

He said with the return of peace among the key stakeholders, APGA would definitely regain the governorship seat come the November 16 election. \u201cAPGA is set to retain the governorship of Anambra state come November 16. We welcome all other parties to engage us in the contest but we advise that they avoid acts that will cause problems during the elections,\u201d he urged.<\/p>\n

Umeh also called on the Inedpendent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to ensure a level playing ground for all parties. Anambra Commissioner of Works, Architect Calitus Ilozumba, represented Governor Peter Obi at the NEC meeting.<\/p>\n

Reacting on behalf of his boss, the Imo state Deputy Governor Prince Eze Madumere reassured Imo citizens and Ndi Igbo at large that Governor Rochas Okorocha\u2019s decision to pull the people to All Progressives Congress (APC) was for the interest of the entire Ndigbo.<\/p>\n

He said the age-long agitation for Nigerian president of Igbo extraction would be realized under the platform of All Progressive Congress (APC).<\/p>\n

The deputy governor who was reacting to the purported suspension of the Governor Okorocha from APGA maintained that Igbos would be well accommodated and recognized in the new party compared to the ruling Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) which he accused of relegating the zone to the background. He said that it gladdens his heart \u201c that our people are responding to this clarion call that has to do with our collective destiny and aspiration.<\/p>\n

It is a clear fact that Igbos have been relegated to sixth position in the political equation of our nation not minding the fact that we formed one of the tripods upon which the nation stands.<\/p>\n

According to him \u201c In a situation where no Igboman occupies the President, Vice President, Senate President, Speaker of the Federal House of Representatives and Chairman of the ruling party gives credence to the fact we have been relegated to the background by the PDP.<\/p>\n

He further enthused that rather than give the people of the South East the needed dividends of democracy, what we have is the politicization of the need of the people.<\/p>\n

We are not unaware of the fact that APGA had long been compromised, negotiated out and sold to PDP. Selling the soul of a party to a party that has bedeviled Ndi Igbo.<\/p>\n

For us we look forward to restoring the dignity of Igbo man where his aspirations, toil and patriotism are no longer thrown to the mud. He observed that what is left in APGA is mere chaff and retrogressive elements and such can longer be tolerated by Ndi Igbo.<\/p>\n

He assured that the people\u2019s tears would be wiped away in APC as \u201cwe have no doubt started well and will definitely finish on a very good note in this new party.\u201d Madumere urged Igbos to embrace the party and work for its victory in the forthcoming general elections.<\/p>\n

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Posted in Nigerian Newspapers. <\/a>A DisNaija.Com<\/a> network.<\/p>\n

Source: National Mirror Newspaper<\/p>\n

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