The National leadership of All Progressive Grand Alliance has declared that Revered Augustine Ehiemere, former chairman of the party in Abia state remained suspended from the party.
This is even as the party said it would not go into 2019 election with the likes of the suspended chairman, revealing that under Ehiemere watch, APGA has lost many members.
The Deputy National chairman of APGA, Engr. Uchenna Okogbuo stated this while answering questions from journalists in Umuahia on the internal wrangling in Abia APGA, said the party will look into the matter after the conduct of Anambra election slated to hold this month.
According to Okogbuo,”as far as am concerned APGA is intact in Abia state. Augustine Ehiemere was suspended by his state working committee. And also signed by six or seven APGA members in Abia House of Assembly that he cannot move the party forward in Abia state”.
“Also, under Ehiemere watch, we have lost many of our house members. Under his watch, we have lost several men of honour that are ready to work and build APGA. They complained that they cannot go for 2019 election with the likes of Ehiemere. I handed over a strong APGA to Ehiemere”.
“The only problem I have with them when they talk about me and their so called Abia First organization was because I stopped them from operating. I refused them from usurping the powers of the party. I told them when I leave, they can do what they want to do. The party remains supreme. Immediately i left the party in the state, Ehiemere as a member of Abia first organization scuttle the party structure. He couldn’t handle the party well. He went in started working with Abia first, changing people that emerged from the congress and bringing people that did not emerge from our congress”.
Asked to comment on the talks in some quarters that he brought Chikwe Udensi to scuttle the governorship ambition of Dr. Alex Otti, the Abia-born APGA chieftain said, “You know such things are laughable. Laughable in the sense that “Are mine the one to provide Chikwendu Udensi the Money to prosecute the election? How can you go and bring a full fledged man to do what he doesn’t want to do”.
“In the first instance, I have nothing against Dr. Alex Otti. I stood in as chairman of the party in 2015. I put in all my best into that election inspite of all odds. I was in a position to rig the APGA governorship primary election. Because that was what was happening in Abia state”.
“The people will install in APGA in Abia were rigging the election against the party. When I came in, I saw a little bit of it. Money was brought to me. And I refused them by telling them that I have come to win election. I have nothing against Dr. Otti”.
” APGA is a political party. APGA is the third party in Nigeria. APGA is a national party. A national party opens its doors for people to come in. It is not foreclose by anybody. And APGA cannot be foreclosed by anybody”.
“If Chikwe Udensi feels like to come back to APGA to actualize his dream in APGA, nobody can stop him. The only thing we have to do is to subject them to primaries. So everybody who is going around, talking Okogbuo brought in Udensi to come and scuttle the governorship ambition of Otti. For what?. Are mine the determinant of the party? Are mine the one to give people ticket. Am not and I cannot be”.
“So, Dr Otti is an APGA member. Chikwe Udensi is an APGA member. Udensi has been registered by his ward chairman”.
