APGA elects new national chairman, reconstitutes board of trustees

By Ikechukwu Okaforadi

Members of the All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, have elected Barr Sly Ezeokenwa as the national chairman of the party.

They also elected other members of the National Working Committee, NWC.

The party held its national convention in Awka, Anambra State capital, where it elected the 31 officers through a voice vote.

The out-gone national chairman, Victor Oye while handing over, stated that his leadership had been able to bequeath the party a national secretariat in Abuja and a five-storey edifice as the South east regional secretariat of the party.

He revealed that with that feat, APGA now ranks as the only political party with a permanent secretariat in Abuja.

He also revealed that he bequeathed the party with the sum of N30million.

The new national chairman, Ezeokenwa in his acceptance speech said: “I want to appreciate our Governor, Prof Chukwuma Soludo and his faith in disruptive change, which has produced me as the youngest national chairman of a major political party in Nigeria.

“I pledge that we will take APGA to its main owners: peasant farmers, artisans, professionals and others. We will launch project ‘drive APGA’, which will embark on a membership drive, and will move the party from where it is today to a higher pedestal.”

Soludo while speaking at the event said: “We are a party that believes in partnership. Because we want to see outcome, we will partner with those who want to move Nigeria forward.

“We will continue in the policy of partnering with government in power. Elections are over and governance has begun in earnest. We congratulate INEC for the election.

“The same election some people repudiated is the one that produced senators and Reps on the same day. I thank INEC for being able to conduct the election. Many governors lost election to Senate, some lost the ability to install successors, it has never been heard of in Nigeria.”

Soludo added that: “Our party is going to be led by a youth. We are sure the party will be moved to a new height. We call on those who left APGA to return.

“Our tent is bigger and can contain all. APGA is the movement rooted in ideology and has a base. We have no faction in APGA and it remains indivisible and strong.”

The party also reconstituted its board of trustees, naming former governor Willie Obiano as chairman.

Members of the board included the out-gone national chairman, Oye; governorship candidate of the party in Enugu, Frank Nweke Jnr; Senator representing Abia South, Senator Enyinaya Abaribe; former member representing Orumba North and South in the House of Representatives, Hon Ben Nwankwo and the speaker of Anambra State House of Assembly, Rt Hon Uchenna Okafor, among others.