Chidiebele Obika | I-Witness News
The All Progressives Grand Alliance party (APGA) since its registration in 2002 with INEC has a well defined way and an unbeatable model of working with the central government in Nigeria.
In 2003 general election, the party fielded its supreme leader and former biafran warlord, His Excellency, Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu as its presidential candidate. He came third after winning a total of 1,297,445 while the then incumbent president, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo who won the election pulled a total of 24,456,140. Since then, the party has been strategizing and working to expand the tentacles of the party and prepare it for a bigger alliance that would eventually culminate in the party’s candidate winning the presidential election in Nigeria.
In 2011, the party won the Imo governorship election in addition to Anambra it was controlling then. Incidentally, that win for the party was short-lived and truncated as the then Governor Rochas Okorocha and few others betrayed the party, the people and joined the then ACN, CPC and ANPP in forming the new party – APC. According to the national chairman of the party then, Chief Victor Umeh, neither Rochas nor any of his comrades informed the party before dragging it into a meager and as such was unacceptable. That internal sabotage nearly tore the party into pieces and decimated the integrity with which APGA was spreading then.
Luckily, the leadership of the party was firm in renouncing the membership of Rochas and his comrades. As the first progressive party to be registered since the dawn of fourth republic in Nigeria, APGA maintained massive following and would later expand into Abia, Bayelsa, Benue and other states.
In 2012, APGA through the then president, Dr Goodluck Jonathan gave one ambassadorial slot to APGA and then Governor Peter Obi. Subsequently, Amb. Barr. Bianca Ojukwu was made Nigeria’s ambassador to Spain.
Today, under the central government of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and the Governor of Anambra state, Professor Chukwuma Soludo who is the leader and BoT Chairman of APGA, the party has been raking in juicy federal positions including member, presidential economic advisory committee, ministerial slot and Managing Director Chief Executive Officer of of the newly created South East Development Commission.
While Governor Soludo is a member of the presidential economic advisory committee, Amb. Barr Bianca Ojukwu is Nigeria’s Foreign Affairs Minister of State and yesterday, the Nigerian senate screened and confirmed Mr Mark Okoye as the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the South East Development Commission.
Mr Mark Okoye, an indigene of Anambra state before his lastest appointment was serving as MD/CEO of the Anambra State Investment Promotion and Protection Agency (ANSIPPA) and had served as Commissioner for Budget and Economic Planning under former Governor Willie Obiano among other positions.
Okoye was confirmed alongside other eighteen governing board members of the SEDC and they include; Barr. Ugochukwu H. Agballah , Hon. Okey Ezenwa , Chief Hyacinth Ikpor , Chidi Echeazu, Barr. Ifeanyi Agwu Ph.D , Nasiru Usman, Hamma Adama Ali Kumo Edward David Onoja , Orure Kufre Inima , Daniel Akwari, Chief (Mrs) Joke Adebayo-Chukwuma, Rt. Hon. Stanley Ohajuruka (E.D. Finance), Chief Sylvester Okonkwo ( E.D. Corporate Services , Hon. Toby Okechukwu ( E.D. Projects ), Sen, Anthony Agbo ( E.D. Commercial and Industrial Development ) and Dr. Clifford Ogbede (E.D. Natural Resources, Agriculture and Rural Development).
While we must appreciate the President of Nigeria, His Excellency, Bola Ahmed Tinubu for running an all-inclusive government, the Governor of Anambra state, Professor Chukwuma Charles Soludo should be commended for going the extra mile in attracting more slots for the APGA party and the state.
Clearly, Soludo and APGA party are winning in all ramifications.
Chidiebele Obika is the Head, I-Witness Media Office and writes from Awka
