Politics
PDP, APC, APGA collapse into LP in Anambra, as Obi’s momentum rise
Scores of thousands of party faithful in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the All Progressives Congress (APC), and the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) in Anaocha Local Government Area of Anambra State have collapsed their structures into the Labour Party (LP) after dumping their original platforms in the state.
The defectors were all members of the three main political parties in the state, from Anaocha Local Government Area (LGA), home to Peter Obi, the LP Presidential Candidate for the forthcoming February 25th, 2023 national election.
The defectors including Chief Ifeanyi Oji, PDP chairman Anaocha LGA; Nonso Ezeana, APC Secretary, Anaocha; Chief Charlie Chukwudebelu, Ward 2 Chairman PDP Agulu (Peter Obi’s ward) and Chief Elias Abana, former chairman of APGA Ward 4 Agulu, led their members and followers to join the LP, in a move, which seems to underscore the mileage Obi is gaining in the state.
It was gathered that the defectors joined the LP at a mini rally staged for Obi and his running mate, Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed at Igwe Central Palace, Agulu, on Wednesday, under the chairmanship of Chief Franklin Anazodo, where the new LP members explained that they resolved to join party, because they believed that Obi was the best person to lead Nigeria at the moment.
Paulinus Aniagbaoso, former President General of Agulu People’s Union (APU) and currently the Traditional Prime Minister of Agulu Kingdom (Onowu Agulu) who convened the meeting said that the people of Agulu community and Anaocha LGA, in general, had resolved to vote massively for LP from top to bottom.
Adding that the people irrespective of their various party affiliations, met and resolved to vote for Obi because he’s the most qualified candidate for the job, he added: “We organised a meeting for all the political parties in Anaocha LGA and discussed critical issues concerning this election, particularly Obi’s acceptance across Nigeria.
“We reasoned that if Nigerians across regions and ethnic divides have accepted Peter Obi and are supporting him massively, what then will be the contribution of Agulu town and Anaocha LGA where he comes from? So, at the meeting, everybody agreed to give up the various posts they were holding in their various political parties and join hands with Obi in the LP. The people of Agulu resolved to vote all the LP candidates from top to bottom,” Aniagbaoso said.
Chairman of LP in the state, Ugoo Eme, who commended the defectors for their “bold move,” as the right decision, encouraged them to join other teaming members of the party in their ongoing door-to-door campaigns in the state to ensure that all the party’s candidates win in the state.
“Come out and be fully involved. You need to come out in your numbers and vote massively for the LP. Obi did very well as governor and we believe he will do well as president. PDP says it is contesting with LP and APC says the same thing. This means that they know that we stand a very good chance to win this election. Door-to-door campaign of the LP is ongoing now. Please, join them in that good effort.”
Traditional ruler of Agulu, Igwe Innocent Obodoako, said that he was pleased with the massive support his subject, Obi, was getting across the country, saying he was confident he would win the presidential poll, while the candidate of LP for Anambra Central Senatorial District, Senator Victor Umeh, said that Obi had shown in clear terms that he was ready for the job.
“We’re lucky to have somebody like Peter Obi whom the Nigerian people want as their President. Obi has what it would take to reposition Nigeria. God is using him as an instrument,” Umeh, said, adding that one of his opponents had been going everywhere, lying that he was no longer in the contest.
“Some people are going about lying that I am no longer contesting for the Senate. I know the law. Before I joined LP, I checked the law of the land. I also consulted the INEC who told me that I could contest for the Senate under LP,” he added.
Justice Usman Mallam Na’Abba, of the Kano State High Court, on Monday, reversed himself five days after making an order barring Abdullahi Ganduje National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), from parading himself or performing any official function in that capacity.
In vacating the order made ex-parte, following a plea by Haladu Gwanjo and Laminu Sani Barguma, who claimed to be the Chairman and Secretary of the APC Ganduje Ward in Dawakin Tofa Local Government area of the state, for the suspension of the former Governor of the state from his present job, Na’Abba said he relied on fresh arguments made on the matter.
The fresh applications were brought by Glory Adah, a litigation secretary at the law firm representing the APC boss in a motion ex-parte, accompanied by a 27-paragraph affidavit in support, and a written address dated April 22nd, countering the grounds of his previous orders.
Na’Abba, who adjourned the case to April 30 for the hearing, said: “An order of interim injunction is hereby granted staying the execution of the order of interim injunction contained in the ruling of this court delivered on 17h April 2024 directing parties to maintain status quo ante as at the 15th day of April 2024 in relation to the suspension of the 4th respondent/applicant from the 1st respondent by the Ganduje Ward Executive Committee pending the hearing and determination of the 4th respondent/applicant motion on notice.”
There is no valid order stripping Abdullahi Ganduje of his position of National Chairman of All Progressives Congress (APC), known to the party and therefore, he will continue his duties as prescribed, the National Working Committee (NWC), has insisted, debunking that he is no longer a member of the party by the orders of the courts.
Felix Morka, spokesman of the party, who made this declaration on Wednesday, on Arise Television, maintained that neither Ganduje himself nor the party, was served with the orders, said to have been obtained against the party boss by his ward in Kano State, where he served as a two-term governor between 2015 and 2023.
Insisting that Ganduje’s position remained intact, explained that the ruling party would disregard the said court order affirming Ganduje’s suspension as APC national chairman and only honour the recent Kano Federal High Court ruling ordering a stay of the order.
The declaration is coming on a day Justice AM Liman of the Federal High Court, Abuja overturned the said suspension of Ganduje by his ward executives in Dawakin Tofa Local Government area of Kano State.
The party boss, had obtained the ruling through another ex-parte motion in which he sought to enforce his fundamental right to a fair hearing, in a suit, in which he also joined the Nigerian Police Force (NPF), Department of State Services (DSS ), Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) and nine other individuals.
Morka told his hosts: “The order issued by the first court was very disturbing, for some reasons. First, the plaintiffs who purportedly filed that action are not recognised members of our party and therefore shouldn’t have the locus standi to invoke the authority of the court to make any such order.
“Secondly, every lawyer in this country is aware that from the Supreme Court up to the NJC, there is this cautiousness that judges don’t make orders that are far-reaching in effect on an ex parte motion or application”
Peter Obi, presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), did his best to resolve the crisis in the party, but his suggestions for lasting peace was ignored by the National Chairman, Julius Abure.
This much was revealed by Yinusa Tanko, Chief Spokesman for the Obi-Datti Campaign Organisation, who made the revelation, said that the current crisis rocking the party, could have been prevented if the leadership had taken the advice of the former Governor of Anambra State.
A guest on The Morning Brief, a breakfast programme on Channels television, on Monday, the former campaign spokesman, said: “His Excellency, Peter Obi, has made a concerted effort in trying to intervene at any point we have this particular issue and trying to improve.
“When the issue of the national convention came up, he (Obi) suggested to the national chairman that because we are bigger now, we need to have a wider consultation: meet with responsible and interested people such as the TUC and NLC, stakeholders, the Obidient group – young generation people who are interested in seeing Nigeria work – meet with leaders who have different ideas that can midwife us into a greater height.
“All of these were the suggestions that he (Obi) made, and not only did he make those suggestions, he practicalised them because he met with the members of the National Assembly. He (Obi) met with the leadership of the party recently in Asaba trying to give them ideas on how he thinks certain things could be done and you could improve our situation but of course, you know how politics is, sometimes, people may be trying to encourage people, but they do something different.
“You can only take a horse to the river, but you cannot force it to drink water. So that’s exactly what Peter Obi has done. He has done so greatly to see if we can find a solution to some of the problems we find ourselves.”
Tanko, who argued that Abure had the right to contest the national chairmanship position again, it was only proper that the right things are done by opening the door for more people to be part of the process, noted however that the party boss went outside an initial agreement to have an all-inclusive national convention which ought to start from the ward, local government and state levels before the national level.
He said that the convention held in Nnewi Anambra State that returned Abure as the party’s leader did not conform with that agreement and therefore was not acceptable to everyone within the party.
Asked if the crisis in the party could be a problem for Obi in the next election, Tanko said Obi is a brand of his own and that he and other people would always move with him wherever he went to.
At the convention of the Labour Party held on March 27 in Nnewi, Abure was re-elected as the National Chairman for a second term by a unanimous affirmation of delegates despite strong opposition by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC). The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had also said none of its officials monitored the convention while the party’s Board of Trustees insisted that Abure’s tenure had expired.
Before the controversial convention, the NLC called for Abure’s resignation as party chairman and the immediate constitution of a caretaker transition committee to organise a legitimate and all-inclusive national convention for the party.
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