Politics
Breaking: 10 years after, Chekwas returns to APGA, says peace efforts failed 20 times
Founding Chairman of the All Progressive Grand Alliance, APGA Chief Chekwas Okorie has returned to the party ten years after he was forced out by internal crisis.
Chief Okorie who holds the title of ‘Oje Ozi Ndigbo’ (messenger of the Igbo) was received into the party by the Supreme Court recognised National Chairman of APGA, Chief Edozie Njoku, on Wednesday.
Speaking at the well attended event held at his Enugu resident, Chief Okorie said “APGA has remained the only truly progressive political party in Nigeria, not only because of its name, but in the constitution with which we used in the registration of APGA.
“You will see in the objective principles of the constitution, you will also see in the manifesto of the constitution, provision for true federalism, Devolution of power and self determination of all the ethnic groups in Nigeria. These are revolutionary and progressive objectives.
“Nigeria has come to a point where the social contract of the political parties with the Nigerian people must be interrogated to know what they mean and separate it from what they say.”
Speaking about his ordeals in APGA and his political journey thereafter, the Igbo leader said that they “didn’t just run away when the problems started, we struggled to save the soul of the party. We were in the the court for 8 years, were were in Supreme Court three times and no court ever recognised any other person as APGA National Chairman except me.
” We tried reconciliation, there were over 20 attempts to have peace and reconcile all side but these efforts were frustrated by only one side and we were forced to leave and try our hands elsewhere and founded UPP.
“In 2012, we founded United Peoples Party, UPP, and in the same year, all our leaders in diaspora including Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, Dr. Egemba and Uche Mefor said they were tired of the political process and moved on to Radio Biafra.
“Eventually, that UPP couldn’t move forward, in 2020, we decided to try our hand with the ruling party, we collapsed our structure into the All Progressives Congress, APC, that was a difficult decision to make but at the end of the day, we weren’t too comfortable with the APC because haven been in opposition for several years and decades, it wasn’t so easy to change from the way we were made.
“There was pressure from everywhere for us to return to APGA and help rebuild the house but I said to myself and associates that we can’t return via the backdoor.
“Thus, when the Supreme Court in its wisdom corrected the error they made in October 2021 and reaffirmed Edozie Njoku as the authentic National Chairman of APGA.
“In May 14th, 2022, Njoku was in my house for my return to the House I built, after due consultations with my associates, we decided to return.
“I Chief Chekwas Okorie, with all my associates, those present here and outside, we have today, formally returned to APGA under the Chairmanship of Edozie Njoku.”
He commended Chief Njoku for his peace initiative and assured he will be part of the process to bring back the members of the party.
“Njoku is part of the original vision of APGA and never left, I want to join him in that preaching of healing of wounds.
“I will join him in meeting all the important people that needs to come on board including the Governor of Anambra State, Professor Charles Chukwuma Soludo and join in the campaign to win the state for APGA so the Governor will have a conducive political atmosphere to deliver the dividends of democracy to Ndi Anambra.
“All those that have APGA Ticket will be helped to win their election.
“On the 26th of May, 2022, I formally resigned as a member of APC in my ward and deregistered as a member of APGA in my ward on the same day.
“The revolution has started!” he declared.
Speaking earlier, Chief Edozie Njoku, National Chairman of APGA said “those we started APGA will come back to be with us.
” The situation of our country is a sad one and as someone that grew up outside Nigeria, many persons want to come back to the country but they want the country to work again.
“I’m here with the NWC members of the party to see our founder Okorie and he’s not happy with the state of APGA.
“I’m happy and privileged that I’m among those that are here to welcome our Founder back to the party. We need to reach out to others that are aggrieved and we need to reach out to them. Our members that were reaped off in 2019 in Imo are in pain, we need to appease them.
“This is a bad period in APGA but we’re not discouraged. The lies are much and I’m having my share of the propaganda. I have been accused of forging supreme Court judgement which is laughable.”
Other members of the National Working Committee that were at the event include: Hajia Hadisa Musa, the national women leader, Alhaji Mustapha Rabiu, National Welfare officer, Tony Uche, National Vice Chairman, South East, Ezenwanyi Kate Anikwe, Former National Women Leader, etc.
By Okey Maduforo, Awka
Ahead of the 2027 National Assembly elections, a mass protest voting movement may be building up in Anambra South Senatorial District, following reported moves by members of major political parties to support the candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Chief Ebuka Onunkwo.
The development is said to be linked to grievances among some members of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), All Progressives Congress (APC), African Democratic Congress (ADC) and remnants of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) over the treatment allegedly meted out to Onunkwo during previous political contests.
Onunkwo, who had previously contested the Anambra South senatorial seat under APGA, later emerged as the NDC candidate for the 2027 election.
Although the ADC is currently embroiled in legal disputes over the authentic candidates and the conduct of its primary elections, some members of the APC and APGA are also reportedly dissatisfied with developments within their respective parties.
It was gathered that a section of APGA members, in particular, are backing Onunkwo as a form of protest over the conduct of the party’s senatorial primary, while some members of other parties are also believed to be considering voting for him irrespective of their party affiliations.
Confirming the growing support for Onunkwo, the Chief Executive Officer of NOWAS Oil and Gas Limited and a major stakeholder in Anambra South politics, Chief Ignesus Ikechukwudere Nnubia, said the NDC candidate currently enjoys widespread acceptability across party lines.
Nnubia said the growing support for Onunkwo had made his party affiliation less significant, arguing that voters would ultimately vote according to their conscience and assessment of the candidates.
He said, “At the moment, the number of APGA members with him and supporting him makes one wonder what is left of that party. Even the remnants of the PDP have pitched their tents with him, while members of the ruling APC at the national level are also behind him.
“So, the party that he belongs to is not a factor at all. You know that it is a game of numbers, and people are going to vote according to their conscience and not necessarily because of the political party they belong to.
“People are not bound to vote for their party, and some of them are ready and willing to vote for him.
“We are not talking about the party because he will surely get votes from the NDC, APGA, APC and even other political parties that are already closing ranks to support him as their candidate.”
Nnubia further described Onunkwo as the candidate currently standing tall among the contenders for the Anambra South senatorial seat, expressing confidence that his emergence would usher in what he described as a “new dawn” for the district.
He said political parties should not be the major consideration for voters, stressing that what matters most is the ability of elected representatives to improve the lives of their constituents.
According to him, political parties exist because of the people, and therefore the influence of party structures and incumbency has its limits during elections.
Nnubia said those factors would ultimately be tested by the electorate in the 2027 election, which he described as a contest in which voters’ choices would determine the outcome.
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate for the 2027 Ebonyi State election, Chief Ifeanyi Chukwuma Odii, has pledged to attract more than ₦2 trillion in private-sector investment to the state within six months of assuming office if elected.
Odii made the pledge while addressing supporters in Lagos ahead of the formal commencement of his campaign.
He said his investment strategy would cover key sectors of the Ebonyi economy, including mining, hospitality, real estate and manufacturing.
According to the PDP candidate, he has identified more than 2,000 prospective investors, each capable of investing about ₦1 billion in the state.
“I have over 2,000 people who can invest ₦1 billion each. When you multiply it, you will get over ₦2 trillion. This has been structured in such a way that all aspects of the economy will be involved,” Odii said.
He said the proposed investment drive was designed not only to inject capital into the state but also to create jobs, expand the productive base of the economy and provide opportunities for young people and entrepreneurs.
Odii said Ebonyi’s natural resources and strategic location placed it in a strong position to attract large-scale investments if its economic potential was properly harnessed.
He promised that his administration would prioritise private-sector participation, industrialisation and job creation while creating an enabling environment for both local and foreign investors.
The candidate also said existing businesses in the state would be supported to expand, while new investors would be encouraged to establish operations across various sectors.
His pledge comes amid growing political activities ahead of the 2027 governorship election, with economic development, employment generation and wealth creation featuring prominently in his campaign message.
The proposed ₦2 trillion investment target within six months, if achieved, would represent a significant boost to Ebonyi’s economy and rank among the most ambitious private-sector investment mobilisation plans proposed in the state.
By Okey Maduforo, Awka
The planned visit of the First Lady of Nigeria, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, to Anambra State has sparked controversy following a protest by the state Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Emma Anosike, that the party was not informed about the visit.
Anosike said the APC in Anambra was never consulted or briefed about the proposed visit, adding that the party was taken aback by reports that the wife of the party’s national leader and presidential candidate, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, would be visiting the state without recourse to the state chapter.
He said, “It is indeed strange that the First Lady of our presidential candidate is visiting Anambra State without recourse to the party in the state.
“The party wishes to state categorically that we are not part of the arrangements for the reception of our First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, because the party was never put in the picture.”
Anosike also dismissed the mantra that “The Progressives Are Working Together”, being canvassed by the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), describing it as a smokescreen by the ruling party in Anambra to hijack President Tinubu’s re-election from the APC.
He said, “For instance, the APGA-led government in Anambra State did not interface with us on the organisation of the visit, and the party wonders if the progressives are indeed working together.”
The APC chairman, however, said the development would not compromise the First Lady’s visit, urging all APC members and supporters in the state to turn out and give Senator Oluremi Tinubu a warm welcome.
He stressed that despite the party’s reservations over the arrangements, APC members remained committed to welcoming the First Lady to Anambra State.
Former Deputy Governor of Bauchi State, Sagir Saleh, has resigned his membership of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Saleh, who served as deputy governor under former Governor Isa Yuguda, announced his resignation in a letter submitted to the party leadership in Katagum Local Government Area.
He cited personal reasons for his decision but did not provide further details.
His exit comes amid growing disagreements within the Bauchi APC following the party’s 2027 governorship primary. Other prominent members, including former governorship aspirant Bala Jibrin and Sunusi Kunde, an associate of Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Ali Pate, have also reportedly left the party.
Jibrin, a former National Auditor of the defunct Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), resigned on August 31, 2026, following his opposition to the emergence of former Bauchi Governor Muhammad Abubakar as the APC’s 2027 governorship candidate.
He had criticised the primary process and questioned how the candidate emerged.
Kunde also resigned from the APC in August, submitting his resignation to the party chairman of Beti Ward in Misau Local Government Area.
The latest departures are coming as efforts continue to resolve internal disputes and disagreements among APC members in the state.
The Leader of INRI Evangelical Spiritual Church, Primate Elijah Ayodele, has raised the alarm over an alleged plot to assassinate former Anambra State Governor, Peter Obi, and former Vice President Atiku Abubakar ahead of the 2027 general election.
Ayodele issued the warning in a video shared on his verified X account on Sunday, urging both opposition figures to strengthen their security and remain vigilant.
The cleric did not identify those allegedly behind the purported plot but claimed that attempts were being made to eliminate Obi and Atiku.
According to him, divine intervention would prevent the alleged plan from succeeding.
“Obi and Atiku, be very conscious of your security. They are looking for any means to eliminate Obi and Atiku.
“But God will never allow it to happen. Watch out and be cautious about your security,” he said.
Ayodele also urged President Bola Tinubu to reconsider travelling to the United States, alleging that there were forces in America working against his political fortunes.
The claims come as political activities and realignments intensify ahead of Nigeria’s 2027 general elections.
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