Survival and continued relevance of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), depend largely on the management of the recent exit of former Anambra State governor, Peter Obi from its fold by the leadership of the party, Special Correspondent, OKEY MADUFORO, writes.
While henchmen of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) came calling at his Onitsha residence penultimate week, former Anambra State Governor, Peter Obi, was treated to a royalty of sorts. The visit by the PDP team was in line with the horsetrading that took place before Obi finally dumped the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) for PDP.
The former governor, at the occasion, recalled how his former party provided the ladder with which he attained political prominence. He explained the reason for his current move, stressing that instead of working for President Goodluck Jonathan from the side line, it would be better joining the PDP team in ensuring his second term.
Obi’s entry into PDP, however, did not come to many as a surprise, given that his body language had, since 2011, indicated that he was on his way out of APGA. In the last general election, APGA did not field a presidential candidate; it rather supported Jonathan.
What emerged as clear indication of Obi’s eventual move was when the National Assembly members of APGA extraction, last two months, defected to the PDP. With his defection, there have been suggestions at several quarters that the fate of APGA and its chances of surviving the 2015 election year hangs on a cliff.
Road to uncertainty
The present state of uncertainty in APGA began to take shape during the party’s governorship primaries in which Dr. Chike Obidigbo, Chinedu Idigo and Willie Obiano were among the aspirants. Obiano later emerged the candidate.
But unknown to many, the choice of Obiano was not largely of Obi’s making, as he was allegedly tricked to pick his former Fidelity Bank Director against his preferred choice, Idigo, from the same Aguleri town with Obiano.
TheNiche learnt that it was when it became obvious to the former governor that he had been beaten in the game that the bad blood began to percolate.
Consequently, since the inauguration of Obiano as governor, the former governor has not shown up in Anambra Government House.
The governor, has also, in a way, said to have decided to operate on his own, finding solace in the party’s national chairman, Victor Umeh.
Obi’s apparent loss in the power game may have accounted for his move to PDP.
Besides, he was said to have been frustrated in his bid to be appointed Aviation Minister by PDP chieftains from the South East, who insisted that he was not a member of the party.
Obi had earlier resigned as the Board of Trustees (BoT) Chairman of APGA, in what was seen as the first in his programmed exit from the party.
According to our investigations, he would have embarked on the move before now, but was in a fix on eating his words that he would not dump APGA. He thus needed the advertised push from the South East PDP to make the defection, at least, for him to appear to have been courted.
Ex-raying Obi’s departure
The lieutenants in APGA could not wait to react to Obi’s defection.
While Umeh and sacked factional Chairman, Maxi Okwu, chose to maintain silence over the development, other chieftains of APGA had divergent opinions.
Anambra State Chairman of the party, Mike Kwentoh, described Obi’s defection as good for APGA.
“It is an issue that has been protracted. He had long wanted to leave the party and we had a prolonged battle over the issue; but at the end, he was able to serve out his tenure as governor and now decided to join the PDP.
“But I remember vividly that, while we were working together, he made a lot of promises to the entre Anambra people that once he serves out his eight years, he would not go for political appointment or Senate.
“He said that he would get back to his chains of business and still relate with APGA, and we applauded him. But to our surprise, he woke up one morning and made a pronouncement that he had joined PDP.
“He gave reasons that he had to join PDP to help return President Goodluck Jonathan in 2015, and that his leaving APGA would help him achieve that. But I remember in 2011 we in APGA adopted Jonathan as our presidential candidate and he was delivered.
“I do not see that as a reason to join the PDP because Obi was still with us in 2011 when APGA helped to deliver Jonathan. His departure is a big blessing to the party. This is because he left alone and the party is fully intact under the strong and serious control of Governor Willie Obiano. So we have no reason to lose sleep over the actions of the former governor because the party is better now than before.
However, Shedrack Anakwuo, claiming that the party has been on the losing side since the governorship election and the inauguration of Obiano, due to the disagreement between Obiano, Obi and Umeh.
Chris Ngige, who represents Anambra Central Senatorial District, also said Obi’s defection was bound to happen.
“Obi’s defection to PDP had been long-awaited, and now he has finally joined the PDP. He has now come to terms with my initial statement that the issue here is not the political party but what we, Ndigbo, stand to gain in the political arrangement. Is it the Igbo party that Peter Obi and the rest of them canvassed for?” he asked
Picking the pieces
Analysts have argued that the burden of sustaining APGA lies on Obiano, and he seems to be aware of the task. A meeting, which had in attendance some major stakeholders of the party, was recently conveyed by the governor.
Though it was not clear what the agenda was, a source at the meeting told TheNiche that it was aimed at re-organising the party and rekindling confidence of the members in it.
As that is going on, supporters of the founding national chairman of APGA and now the National Chairman of the United Progressive Party (UPP), Chekwas Okorie, argue that he has been vindicated.
Okorie, who had nurtured the party but was bloodied in its crisis, told TheNiche that those who fought him out of APGA are today the villains in the struggle for Igbo interest.
