By Oguwike Nwachuku
On October 12, 2018, I published in this column a piece titled “APGA Imo bazaar and shameless undertakers.”
It was a post-mortem of the charade called All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) primaries in Imo State last year that led to Senator Ifeanyi Araraume becoming the governorship candidate in the 2019 general election.
Araraume’s emergence left the party bruised, dismembered and in tatters even till today.
I got a lot of responses after the publication. Some criticised the article, others applauded it.
Let me quote part of what I wrote then.
“Before the primaries, I read in the media predictions that (Victor) Oye does not have the discipline and strength of character required to conduct free, fair and rancour-free primaries for APGA.
“In fact, some of the writers had alleged it was in his character to go for the highest bidder, and how else can that be proven than the way Araraume emerged?
“My admiration of APGA pre-dates Oye’s tenure and the administration of Governor Willie Obiano of Anambra State.
“Though not a politician in the mould of the Oyes of this world who determine what goes on in APGA, I am a stakeholder, having used my profession to impact positively on the development and survival of APGA.
“I should therefore worry if untoward developments hitherto not associated with the party are now rearing their ugly heads under Oye’s watch ….
“For instance, how true is it that what Oye superintended over in Imo was a bazaar that yielded billions of naira for APGA leadership instead of a credible process expected to yield credible candidates?
“Why would the Oye-led APGA prefer a quick fix approach of handing the party tickets to the highest bidders, to a process that would have led to party spread, growth and expansion, with an eye on men and woman as the change agents to reposition APGA in the South East in particular, and Nigeria in general, on the path of sustainable development?
“Do Oye and his team think APGA will be the same again after what people know transpired in Imo and other parts of the country with regard to picking candidates for next year’s election?
“It will take the special grace of God for APGA candidates to win because of the bad image the warped primaries has brought to the party.
“Even beyond next year, many people will view APGA with greater suspicion, and that alone has the potential to further limit the long desired growth and spread of the party.
“I disagree with those who say that Obiano, the National Leader of APGA, should be left out of what transpired in the primaries.
“Why would Obiano be aloof over such developments? Is it in his interest that APGA expands and gets more states and membership or have Anambra as the lone state APGA controls?
“Whether Obiano likes it or not, the day of reckoning is around the corner when he will be reminded that after eight years in the saddle, he could not improve on the perception and character of the party that people worked so hard to entrust in his hand as Governor and leader.
“Let it not be that by remaining aloof to the challenges in APGA Obiano is confirming insinuations that he is planning to defect to the APC.
“The decision to compromise APGA governorship primaries in Imo may look like a deal that has yielded good profit. It may also have underscored perception of infiltration of Governor Rochas Okorocha’s mercenaries in APGA.
“But more importantly, what transpired in Imo shows that there are more undertakers in APGA today doing deals and making profits while at the same time masquerading as its leaders. Such persons must be stopped now before they bury the APGA finally.
“That should be the focus of the protesting Imo governorship aspirants, those wise men who fell into the trap of Oye and his ilk and therefore got treated ignominiously.
“The best and non-negotiable move expected of them is to head for the courts to compel Oye and his team to account for all they fraudulently harvested by way of bazaar they called primaries.
“I have had contacts with those who think the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) should be involved. Too bad.
“The late leader of APGA, Chukwuemeka Odimegwu-Ojukwu, whose name they have so bastardised in politics, will be glad in his grave to hear that the ill-treated Imo governorship aspirants and others who believe in fairness, equity and justice trod the path of honour to preserve whatever integrity is left of APGA.
“It is also on that note that we should take seriously the birth, during the week, of the New APGA (N-APGA) as a fall-out of the misnomer called primaries and the determination of the aspirants to retrieve the party from the grip of the undertakers led by Oye.
“Failure to do something for posterity could mean that, “nkea bu nke anyi” (APGA is our own) has been changed to, “nkea bu nke ndi oshi” (APGA IS FOR SOME CRIMINALS).”
News broke on July 1, 2019 that former APGA National Chairman, Senator Victor Umeh, reportedly decided to intervene in the circumstances that made APGA a laughing stock in the build-up to the 2019 general election.
It emerged that Umeh had written an email to Obiano on May 30, 2019 to take action on the allegations against Oye.
He advised Obiano to compel Oye to step aside as APGA National Chairman to restore public confidence in the party.
The information in Umeh’s letter to Obiano is discomforting and unsettling but also heart-warming.
Heart-warming because Nigerians will, in no time, get to know who played what role in the situation that led to the APGA being regarded as a party of scammers under Oye.
Unsettling and discomforting because of the kind of money those aspiring to govern Imo people allegedly paid Oye for the APGA governorship ticket, in a state many agree is poor and struggling.
Before Umeh’s letter to Obiano went public, many had thought the curtain had drawn on the drama that played out in Imo over the scam that culminated in the formation of the splinter body, N-APGA. They were wrong.
The story is still unfolding going by recent developments we shall return to shortly. Meanwhile, a little background will suffice before we deal with the latest gist.
Prior to the 2019 election APGA was a beautiful bride, particularly in Imo, as many politically-exposed and ambitious lots hitherto members of other parties found their way into the party hoping to be favoured by the leadership to fly its flag in the state.
They had their reasons for trooping to APGA.
The two main parties, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and All Progressive Congress (APC) – until former Governor Rochas Okorocha railroaded his supporters to the Action Alliance (AA) because of his insistence on his son in-law succeeding him as governor – were in the firm grip of now Governor Emeka Ihedioha and Okorocha.
Names such as Araraume, Ikedi Ohakim, Humphery Anumudu, Ziggy Azike, Stanley Amuchie, Okey Ezeh, Frank Nneji, Uche Onyeagocha, Sam Amadi, Steve Nwoga, Nik Oparandudu, suddenly became synonymous with APGA against all odds.
Oye and his ilk celebrated their entry as big catches and had hoped that APGA would wrestle power from Okorocha and his cohorts while at the same time hoping to retire Ihedioha politically after the 2019 election because of the emerging situations then in APC and PDP.
But the celebration of the new big fishes in APGA was fleeting and short-lived.
As events unfolded, the names were not to be properly leveraged on, after all, to win election, but to cut big deals that would leave Oye and his team smiling to the bank and the aspirants licking their wounds.
Oye may have caught the joke that many of the so-called big catches who flooded APGA intended to buy their way into power.
All the aspirants, the super-rich and the strugglers, were hurt when Araraume – another stupendously affluent aspirant – against all permutations was picked as Imo APGA governorship candidate.
Some of the other aspirants were so wrong-footed they did not even know where, when, and how the primaries took place.
The fall-out of Araraume’s emergence was the big noise that followed in form of news conferences addressed by the other contestants.
Post primaries defections involving some of the aspirants from APGA to other parties soon became fashionable while others maintained outright and confounding mum. Yet some came together to form N-APGA.
The few who summoned the courage to complain of how much they lost in the scandalous primaries realised they had been defrauded and vowed to recover their money from Oye notwithstanding that he said there was nothing of such.
What actually transpired between the aspirants and Oye was a riddle, and as the election drew closer and everyone got busy, it appeared the matter had been forgotten. Until now that a fresh perspective has been introduced into the saga.
Umeh’s letter to Obiano detailed the aspirants’ allegations of fraud against Oye with four of them – Okey Ezeh, Stanley Amuchie, Ikedi Ohakim and Humphry Anumudu – seeming ready to fight dirty.
According to Umeh, many of the aspirants had asked him to bring the allegations to the attention of Obiano, particularly as Oye reportedly started refunding some money then stopped.
Umeh said from Ezeh’s account, Oye with one Chinedu Obidigwe negotiated for and collected N273.25 million from him in return for the governorship ticket.
When the arrangement failed, Oye refunded Ezeh $100,000 in two installments of $50,000 each, leaving a balance of N237.25 million.
Umeh said regrettably, Oye told Ezeh that himself, and Archbishop Valerian Okeke, were responsible for his inability to honour their agreement.
He told Obiano: “I will forward his (Ezeh’s) written petition to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and some of the bank transactions with Oye and also bring it to the attention of Okeke.”
Amuchie alleged that Oye and Obidigwe negotiated for and collected N280 million in return for the governorship ticket.
Allegedly, Oye was given N250 million in $694,400 and Obidigwe paid N30 million in $83,333 with the balance N20 million to be paid to him after the primaries.
Ohakim alleged that Oye collected $300,000 and N100 million and other payments from him. Ohakim has written a petition to the EFCC detailing what happened.
Anumudu alleged that Oye obtained a 2018 Toyota Land Cruiser black SUV from him under false pretense, apart from other dollar cash receipts he said he is ready to forgo.
Anumudu is already in court with Oye and his wife is claiming N50 million as value of the car which Oye claims is a birthday gift from the Anumudus.
Umeh said in his letter to Obiano: “These are just four outstanding cases. There are other tales!
“I see these as very serious moral issues particularly as Oye has consistently insisted that he did not take money from anybody during the 2018 primaries.
“I consider these revelations as serious embarrassment to the party and gross abuse of office by Oye.
“One unfortunate thing was that they engaged these fellows by dropping your name as supporting their actions.
“Some of these were part of the reasons why I told you on April 28, 2019 that Oye is unfit to continue in office as National Chairman of APGA.”
Umeh recounted that for about two weeks in May, some people from Imo State had told him Oye extorted money from them during the APGA Imo primaries in the last general election, “with a request that I pass [the allegations] to you (Obiano) to direct Oye to return their monies to them over un-kept transaction promises.”
“I believe that it will be futile and damaging to APGA if you continue to support him for a second term in office.
“I advise that you confront Oye with these revelations and consider asking him to refund these monies to them and bow out and save APGA from protracted crisis!” Umeh urged Obiano.
Umeh said he was “constrained by circumstances” to write Obiano on the activities of Oye “which I have a responsibility to bring to your attention.”
He told Obiano he would furnish him with details of documents and narratives on the complainants’ transactions with Oye to enable Obiano form his own opinion.
Much as Oye and his co-travellers have shown the sharp practices stuff they are made of, many are highly unsettled by the disclosure of aspirants willing to part with such huge sums for the governorship ticket of a party in an election they were not yet candidates.
Apart from the four complainants, others have not recovered from the money they willingly gave out in exchange for a false APGA governorship ticket.
Those ones choose to die in silence because they always pretend not to have money when their kit and kin approach them for financial assistance. What an irony of life!
Many would be happy to have Oye pay back the money he allegedly extorted from the aspirants, and even stripped of APGA chairmanship. But beyond that, it is good for breeze to blow so that the bottom of the fowl can be exposed.
Why do I say so?
How could Imo have entrusted in the care of party aspirants or candidates, people who would pay any amount to acquire power?
I am talking of the Ezehs, Amuchies, Ohakims, and Anumudus who have disclosed that they compromised the system to have undue advantage over, perhaps, more credible, intellectually, educationally, mentally and psychologically-prepared co-contestants.
Could Imo have afforded to trust these fellows with its human and material resources at a time Okorocha worked for himself and family members alone?
Won’t these “stranded” aspirants see acquiring power as an opportunity to help themselves first before helping the people they seek to govern? Is it out of place to say that they were on a mission to scam Imo before Oye executed a bigger scam?
An Igbo adage says if you see where a fowl is using its leg to fiddle with human faeces, you should drive it away because you never can tell who will eat the legs when the fowl is cooked.
The ‘APGA Four’ who have asked Umeh to make a case for them before Obiano are a very bad example of what good governance entails. Between them and Oye there is an integrity deficit that needs interrogation.
A looking-glass darkly kind of scenario that gives cause for worry! Methinks they do not deserve Imo for anything governance, not even in the future.
Many may say the money they spent is theirs, as the national leader of the All Progressive Congress (APC), Bola Tinubu, told Nigerians when a bullion van was sighted on his premises during the election.
That, to me, has always been the case with us as justification for wrongdoing, including criminal and fraudulent acts in our country is never in short supply.
Politicians will always take out their greedy tendencies on hapless citizens when they get power. How do I mean? When politicians get hold of power and want to recover whatever they spend on power struggle they will lump everybody together and say they bought their way to office. We have been paying huge prizes for such idiocy.
The APGA Four would have boldly told whoever bothers to listen that they spent billions of naira prosecuting their election, which of course would have included the pittance they may have given out to vulnerable and poor party supporters during electioneering.
Before their deal went awry, I doubt if any of them could have had the courage to confide in their supporters they were arranging several millions of naira for Oye and his ilk. They would not because they do not regard them, the reason they have no cottage industry linked to them where Imo indigenes are employed.
Imo would have paid dearly if any of the APGA Four aspirants had got away with their inordinate ambition. Providence has a way of working in favour of helpless people as Ndi Imo were during Okorocha’s era.
Pronto. All of us would have been defrauded.
Many are pleased that Umeh’s intervention on behalf of the APGA Four will help prick the conscience of those who erroneously thought that the former Senator representing Anambra Central was part of the fraud.
What is playing out further vindicates the position Umeh took in the heat of the scam when he swore with his entire family about his innocence.