APGA was registered on 22nd June, 2002 and Umeh came back to join the party in July 2002, one month after the party was registered and 9 months after he resigned from UPGA in October 2001. It is a criminal lie for Umeh to tell a lengthy and unwinding falsehood on the history and journey to the registration of APGA.
The truth is that he was not there when Chief Okorie criss-crossed the length and breadth of Nigeria to establish offices and appoint officers in 36 States and FCT to meet the requirements for the registration of the party.
As Chief Okorie was returning and filing back the list of officers to Abuja, I, Chief Ogbuehi Dike and others, namely Hon. Chambers Okorie, Barrister Ifeanyi Nwigwe, Chinenye Nwogu, Mr. Mike Echefu and Barrister Onyeakalam Alilionwu were on ground in Abuja filling up these forms in relevant INEC booklets and forms in readiness for submission to INEC.
To the best of my knowledge and records which are still available to us, Umeh’s name never featured. It was the late Barrister J.S.P.C. Nwokolo who passionately appealed to Chief Okorie to re-admit Umeh to the party.
The ever compassionate Chief Okorie did not only re-admit Umeh into the party in spite of his betrayal, he created a space for him as the National Vice-Chairman of the Party South East of Nigeria while Chief Ralph Okey Nwosu remained as the National Treasurer of the party.
This is so much I can say for want of space on the journey to founding APGA by Chief Chekwas Okorie and the role Victor Umeh did not play contrary to his false claims.
On the emergence of Peter Obi as the governorship candidate of APGA in Anambra State, the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party led by Chief Chekwas Okorie appointed a high powered Committee to screen and conduct primary elections for our party aspirants in the South East geopolitical zone.
This Committee was led by the then Deputy National Chairman (South) of the party Chief Maxi Okwu. Mr. Peter Obi emerged as governorship candidate in Anambra State, Dr. Ezekiel Izuogu in Imo, Barr. Chief Ugochukwu Agballah in Enugu State, late Barr. Chief Onwuka Kalu in Abia State and Barrister S. C. Oduko for Ebonyi State.
Chief Ralph Nwosu boycotted the screening and primary election exercise and resigned from the party. This created a vacuum in the office of National Treasurer which I said earlier was zoned to Anambra State.
Umeh again came crawling back to Chief Chekwas Okorie to reinstate him to the office of National Treasurer which he had abandoned in October 2001.
The ever-forgiving Chief Okorie who obviously had soft spot for the ungrateful and devilish Umeh, re-appointed him National Treasurer and presented him at the National Convention of the party on the 10th of January 2003, where his position and those of other National Working Committee (NWC) members were ratified by the National Convention.
This was at the Old Parade Ground Abuja. It was at this same Convention that Chief Okorie raised the hand of late Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu and handed him over the party’s presidential flag after the Convention had ratified his candidature.
Mr. Peter Obi was at that same Convention handed over the party’s flag on behalf of himself and other gubernatorial candidates of APGA for the governorship election in Nigeria.
It was not on record that Umeh who had already set a record of serial betrayal and who was under close watch could have played any significant role in the emergence of Peter Obi as the gubernatorial candidate as he claimed in his interview that was laced with uncountable number of lies and fabrications.
UMEH AS A NOTORIOUS BACK STABBER
In January 2003 Umeh confronted and challenged Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu who he never knew closely, over the issue of the nomination of a candidate for Aniocha 2 State Constituency.
Umeh’s first act as National Treasurer and member of NWC was to go behind Chief Okorie to remove the name of the nominee of late Dim Odumegwu-Ojukwu for Aniocha 2 Federal Constituency, boasting to the knowledge of late Dim Odumegwu-Ojukwu that nobody should have greater prerogative than him over who became the party’s candidate in his State Constituency.
Ikemba’s anger was difficult to contain but to calm him down Chief Okorie reversed Umeh’s interference with a nomination he had approved before leaving Abuja to return to Enugu. In his reaction late Dim Odumegwu-Ojukwu ordered that he would not want to see Umeh either in his residence or in any party activities he was involved.
This is the reason Umeh never participated or featured in all the presidential campaigns even as he was the National Treasurer until the end of the campaign.
Chief Okorie never relented in pleading with late Dim Odumegwu-Ojukwu to forgive Umeh. Chief Onwuka Ukwa, Ambassador Odi Nwosu and immediate family members of Dim Odumegwu-Ojukwu were all witnesses to what Chief Okorie did to secure Chief Odumegwu-Ojukwu’s forgiveness for Chief Umeh.
No sooner than this was achieved than Umeh embarked on a series of blackmail and intrigues to run Chief Okorie down before his erstwhile leader Dim Ojukwu whom he had close association with for over two decades.
