USAfrica: Obiano, APGA stakeholders return Oye as Chairman; resolve leadership crisis

By CHIDO NWANGWU

In a combination of deft diplomacy and engagement with pragmatic realities of intra-party politics, the leadership of the APGA party of Nigeria led by the Governor of Anambra State, Chief Willie Obiano, has tackled a recent, festering fire of national chairmanship tussle.

During its urgent and “crucial meeting” of APGA’s national stakeholders which was attended by all members of the party’s National Working Committee (NWC)  in Awka (the capital of Anambra) a few hours ago on Wednesday October 13, 2016, Governor Obiano who is also the Board of Trustees chairman of APGA, “successfully resolved last week’s internal leadership crisis in the Party’s National Working Committee (NWC), which led to the purported  suspension” of the Party’s National Chairman, Dr. Victor Ike Oye by some aggrieved members of the NWC led by the Party’s Vice Chairman (South East) Chief Ozo Nwabueze.

[slides title=”” title_url=”” title_icon=”” title_bg_color=”” title_text_color=”” title_border_bottom_color=”” main_color=”” thumb_bg_color=”” enable_tab=”” count=”6″ orderby=”latest” duration=”all” show_view_all=”on” cates=”” cate_scenario=”combination” authors=”” exclude_authors=”” tags=”” ignore_sticky_posts=”on” exclude_loaded_posts=”” show_comment=”on” show_readmore=”on” show_author=”icon” show_date=”date” meta_item_order=”a_c_d” show_format_icon=”” show_review_score=”” number_cates=”0″ snippet_length=”0″ thumbnail_height=”400″ show_nav=”on” show_dots=”on” speed=”5000″][/slides]USAfrica and USAfricaonline.com can confirm that among those who attended the meeting were key members of the party’s Board of Trustees (BOT) led by Dr. Alex Otti who was APGA’s popular 2015 candidate for Governor in Abia State, National Secretary of APGA and Nigeria’s former Minister of Information Labran Maku, former National Chairman, Chief Victor Umeh, Nigeria’s former Ambassador to Spain, Her Excellency Bianca Odumegwu Ojukwu, former National Secretary, Alhaji Sani Abdullahi Shinkafi, Deputy National Chairman (South) Uchenna Okogbue, the Deputy National Chairman (North) Alhaji Abubakar Adamu, and several others.

APGA issued a communique, after what it characterized as “exhaustive review of the issues raised by the aggrieved members of the NWC.” They resolved the following:

1. That internal dissent, disagreements,  and even occasional disputes in the party reflect APGA’s robust internal democratic culture which emphasizes due process, popular participation of Party members in decision making and accountability and transparency at all levels of the party’s leadership.
2. The meeting, however, pointed out that following the spate of leadership crisis and litigations that rocked the party repeatedly in the past, the Party’s current constitution laid out clear procedures for the resolution of internal disputes to ensure their healthy resolution for the unity and growth of the Party.
3. The meeting noted that the current APGA Constitution lays emphasis on internal crisis resolution through dialogue in line with the APGA’s motto which is: Be Your Brother and Sister’s Keeper.
4.  The meeting therefore praised Gov Obiano for promptly calling party stakeholders to explore internal crisis resolution mechanism to deal with the current  leadership dispute in the Party’s NWC in accordance with the Party’s new emphasis on crisis management through internal dialogue.
5.  The meeting observed that although the aggrieved members had raised pertinent issues, the decision to suspend the National chairman and announce a replacement didn’t follow the laid down procedures in the current constitution of APGA which clearly states that all internal processes must be followed in dealing with all disputes in the party.  In the case under review, the meeting noted that this was not the case.
6.  The meeting, however, noted the salient issues raised by the aggrieved members of the NWC and cautioned that mutual respect and friendly disposition and trust must be observed by all party members and leaders in the day to day activities and in the leadership of the party to enhance collective decision making for the rapid growth of the Party as an effective and efficient election winning machine for the transformation of Nigeria into a developed and prosperous nation in the coming decades.

7. The meeting also noted that APGA has gradually become a household name in Nigeria because of its progressive vision and mission and its unique manifesto for the development of Nigeria which stand the Party clearly apart from the other Parties which have failed Nigeria and Nigerians. Leaders and members of APGA MUST THEREFORE AVOID A REPEAT OF THE CRISES THAT HAVE ENGULFED OTHER PARTIES IN RECENT TIMES DUE TO POOR LEADERSHIP, ABSENCE OF INTERNAL DEMOCRACY, AND LACK OF COMMITMENT TO NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND PROSPERITY FOR ALL NIGERIANS.
8. The meeting praised Governor Obiano for his leadership acumen and commitment to the development of Anambra State which clearly shows beyond doubt that in the current democratic dispensation APGA is the best Political Party in Nigeria. The return of peace and security and rapid agricultural and industrial development of Anambra state under APGA has made APGA and Governor Obiano the best models  for national prosperity and Nigeria’s development.9.   All leaders and members of APGA must therefore jealously guard the Party’s unity and internal peace through robust democratic temper and practice and a collective commitment to the growth of the Party as a reliable vehicle for the development and transformation of Nigeria into a confident, united and prosperous nation as a true leader and model in Africa with global influence and respect.

10. The meeting ended on a happy note as the National Chairman Chief Dr. Victor Oye appealed to his aggrieved colleagues and called on them to join hands with him to work as a family to further develop the Party’s huge electoral potential. The aggrieved members of the NWC led by the National Vice-Chairman South-East Chief Ozo Nwabueze and Deputy National Publicity Secretary Chief Jerry Obasi all agreed to sheath their swords and work together as a United team for the peace and progress of APGA.
11.  The National Leader of the Party, Governor Obiano thanked the aggrieved members for accepting the decision of the meeting to maintain peace and unity in the leadership of the party as a model for Nigeria. He urged all members of the NWC to reconcile for effective implementation of the Party’s strategy for national expansion and electoral victory in coming elections at all levels in Nigeria. He thanked all stakeholders for setting aside all their busy schedules to attend the meeting which was called at a short notice. He promised to establish closer personal contacts and stable communication with members of the NWC and all leaders of the Party.

Forthcoming 2017 BOOK: In this engaging, uniquely insightful and first PERSON reportage book, MANDELA & ACHEBE: Footprints of Greatness, about two GLOBAL icons and towering PERSONS of African descent whose exemplary lives and friendship HOLD lessons for humanity and Africans, USAfrica Founder Chido Nwangwu takes a measure of their works and CONSEQUENCE to write that Mandela and Achebe have left “footprints of greatness.”

He chronicles, movingly, his 1998 reporting from the Robben Island jail room in South Africa where Mandela was held for decades through his 20 years of being CLOSE to Achebe. He moderated the 2012 Achebe Colloquium at Brown UNIVERSITY in Providence, Rhode Island.”I’ll forever remember having walked inside and peeped through that HISTORIC Mandela jail cell (where he was held for most of his 27 years in unjust imprisonment) at the dreaded Robben Island, on March 27, 1998, alongside then Editor-in-chief of TIME magazine and later news chief EXECUTIVE of the CNN, Walter Isaacson (and others) when PRESIDENT BILL Clinton made his first official trip to South Africa and CAME to Robben Island. Come to this island of scourge and you will understand, in part, the simple greatness and towering grace of Nelson Mandela”, notes  Chido Nwangwu, award-winning writer, multimedia
specialist and founder of USAfricaonline.com, the first African-owned U.S-based newspaper published on the INTERNET, in his first book; he writes movingly from his 1998 reporting from South Africa on Mandela. http://www.mandelaachebechido.com/

  •Dr. Chido Nwangwu, moderator of the Achebe Colloquium (GOVERNANCE, SECURITY, and PEACE in Africa) December 7-8, 2012 at Brown UNIVERSITY in Rhode Island and former ADVISER on Africa business/issues to the Mayor of Houston, is the Founder & Publisher of Houston-based USAfrica multimedia networks since 1992, first African-owned, U.S-based newspaper published on the INTERNET USAfricaonline.com; CLASSmagazine, AchebeBooks.com, the USAfrica-powered e-groups of AfricanChristians, Nigeria360 and the largest pictorial events megasite on the African diaspora www.PhotoWorks.TV . He was recently profiled by the CNN International for his pioneering works on multimedia/news/public policy projects for Africans and Americans.