*as BoT member throws weight behind rumblings in the party
The acting chairman of the Anambra State chapter of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Chief Tony Omeligwe Elee has shed some more light over why the embattled erstwhile State chairman of the party, Chief Nobert Obi was carried out.
According to him, the move was in effort to save the party from going into extinction and ensure a successful second term bid for Gov Willie Obiano in 2017, which was already around the corner.
The acting chairman spoke at Rojenny Tourist Village in Oba, Idemili Local Government Area of Aanmbra State, when the members of the State Working Committee (SWC) of the party came to pay courtesy call and intimate Chief Rommy Ezeonwuka, a member of the Board of Trustees (BoT) on why they removed the chairman.
Elee opined that Chief Obi’s ouster was in no way related or linked to the crisis rocking the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party presently.
But that they had to take the action to save the party from total demise in the State in the hands of Obi, saying that the party was non-existent at the ward and local government levels, which suppose to be the engine room of the party even as the ruling party in the State.
He absolved all the SWC membership from nursing any ambition of becoming the State Chairman of the party, pointing out that after all the positions had been zoned out with the Anambra South Senatorial zone getting the chairmanship, but “we want somebody who will lead us to the war. The election next year is a war. We are the party in power. Our Governor is contesting the election for second tenure. It is serious If we don’t have a strong chairman we cannot make it”.
Continuing he said “If the governor did not win, it will affect all of us. After this governorship election, we will be going to another election. And some of our members will contest. If the Governor fails in this election, then there will be no opportunity for us in the other election”.
“We don’t want to fail. We don’t want to take chances. We don’t want the governor to fail. The party is like a train and we are the engine room of the party. But what we have is the engine which cannot move the train. He should step aside” the acting chairman asserted.
The state secretary, Mr Tony Ifeanya also noted that APGA has a firm grip of the State since the era of former Gov Peter Obi, but the party seems to be losing grip of the State because of the weakness and selfishness of the chairman.
He accused the suspended chairman of running a one man show and was collecting N4 million running cost monthly without any of them knowing how it was spent. He also accused Obi of “running the party as if it was his family business”.
Ezeonwuka pointed out that as a spiritual leader what the group said has merit but that he cannot address it, noting that there was party hierachy within the power that will look into their complaints.
He said they have genuine grievances and that the party Leader,Gov Willie Obiano, NEC and Board of Trustees (BoT)will surely look into the issues with a view to providing the party a vibrant person that will resurrect the party to enable it face the forthcoming 2017 election and other political challenges with vigor.
He expressed strong belief that, “…the people at the NEC and SWC want the party to succeed. They want to remove the impediments” Chief Ezeonwuka emphasized.