INEC affirms Umeh APGA Chairman






Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Thursday cleared the air on the raging crises within the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) by affirming its recognition of Victor Umeh as National Chairman of the party.

INEC made its stand known just as Umeh himself restated that the party was not in any merger talks with any other political party but that it was preparing to retain the governorship seat in Anambra State in November when another election is due.

A letter signed by INEC Secretary, Abdulahi Kaugama, and addressed to APGA National Chairman said, “The Commission notes the ruling of the Court of Appeal which stayed execution of the order of the Enugu High Court that restrained Chief Sir. Victor Umeh from parading himself as National Chairman of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA).

“Consequently, the Commission will continue to relate with Chief Sir Victor Umeh as the National Chairman of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA).

“Please accept the assurances of the Commission’s highest regards,” the letter added.

INEC made the letter available to newsmen in Abuja on Thursday.

Also briefing newsmen at the party’s National Headquarters in Abuja, Umeh stated that the development has reinvigorated APGA to prepare to win the governorship election in Anambra State and to prepare for the general elections in 2015.

According to him, “For some time now some people have been holding out themselves as the leadership of APGA but for the fact that we believe in the rule of law, we wrote INEC and forwarded to it the copy of the Court of Appeal ruling staying the execution of the Enugu State High Court. APGA has no factional national chairman, there is no faction in APGA.

“We commend INEC for adhering to the rule of law and upholding the rule of law by respecting the decision of the Court of Appeal; this development has reinvigorated the APGA.

“So, any person that wants to do business with the party knows where to go, they should stop all this dissident activity as the leadership will no longer tolerate it, any person that wants to be in the party must respect the leadership of the party, APGA has never had two factions,” he added.

On the party’s position on merger, Umeh said: “We have always said that our party is not part of any merger talks, that position has not changed, APGA will never merge with any political party.

“We have said it often that we know the reason behind the formation of this party, we have always said that we are ready to go into an alliance with any party, any person that says that APGA is in a merger talks is on his own.

“Even Governor Okorocha who has been championing the merger will tell you that I have advised him personally several times before he went public.

“If Okorocha still claims that he still a member of this party he must subject himself to the authority of the party leadership or he should stop dropping the name of APGA.”

Umeh also claimed that all the crisis within the party was “being championed by Governor Peter Obi.




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