Rev. Augustine Ehiemere is the National Vice Chairman of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) in the South-East. In this interview with EMMANUEL IFEANYI, he talks about the current position of APGA, the strength of the party in the South-East, possible threats, political leadership in the geopolitical zone and other important political issues
What’s your view about the current APGA national leadership issues?
I joined APGA in 2002 and since then, I’ve not defected to any other political party. The reason is that this is a platform that all Nigerians including the Igbo can call their own. APGA is a very big national party for all Nigerians and it’s equally willing to accommodate Igbos to help build a better Nigeria. So, it’s expected that the Igbo should embrace and use APGA to negotiate for power among the committee of states in this country.
APGA can make the Igbo man stop being a political orphan, going cap in hand, begging for political power from places not willing to accommodate them. APGA has been there and did well on its first outing. I’m sure that back then, APGA won almost eight states, but the powers that be during that era sabotaged our efforts.
Between 2015 and 2019, APGA won elections in Taraba, Niger, Benue, Kogi, Abia, Rivers, Ebonyi, Anambra in the National and State Assemblies. It’s a platform that every Igbo man should embrace. The current leadership headed by Barr. Sly Ezeokenwa is moving in the right direction. He’s a young man that’s following the good footsteps of good leaders and making meaningful innovations. He has already introduced new strategies to take the party to greater heights.
Can I get to know some of these innovations?
Yes, he has made the party more stable and ready for future elections. Let me tell you this: he has digitized APGA’s registration process and has made it very easy for everyone to know who’s a member of APGA. The era when people take cards and physical registers that can easily be manipulated is gone. Today, anywhere you are in the world, you can click on APGA’s website, move to your ward’s column and register. The era when people who failed in their party will suddenly jump into APGA and demand for what’s not their right is gone. Anything like opportunistic cross carpeting is gone in APGA. It is one bad pattern that has never helped APGA. So, the chairman looked at it and said no, there must be a way to stop it.
If one wants to join a political party, he should join the party, build the party, grow with the party and not this ugly system of jumping into a new party within 48 hours of failing in your original party. Some of them, when it doesn’t favour them at the party they joined within a short while, they’ll jump out again or go to court to mess up the party they actually invaded, claiming to be members. Again, the chairman is a youth, and he’s currently skilling up the youths with digital skills. So, I think he’s going in the right direction and understands what modern politics should be like. So, under this current leadership, I can tell you boldly that APGA is stable and ready to go.
Your only Governor Chukwuma Soludo will soon face the huddle for second tenure, do you see him succeeding?
Everybody that’s conversant with current affairs in politics and governance knows that Chukwuma Soludo’s performance, so far has placed a no vacancy tag on the sit of governor in Awka. Take it to the bank, that with his good performance, Anambra people will massively re-elect him. Let me give you a tip, go to Ekwulọbịa you’ll see how he has within a short time in office created another city that’s currently extending to Uga and linking up with the Ideato people of Imo State through Akọkwa. What he did in the Old Ekwulọbịa Roundabout where gridlock normally keeps passengers helpless for several hours, is magical. The flyover there is a wonder for those who really know what that place looked like.
Go to Okpoko, a town in Ogbaru LGA near Onitsha and see how he transformed what many people described as the largest urban slum in the South-East into a proper human habitat where one can move comfortably and freely. His second tenure is sure. Take a good assessment of the works Peter Obi did, the one Willie Obiano did, and the one Chukwuma Soludo is doing now, and you’ll agree with me that his second tenure is assured, and that’s what makes APGA superb. In infrastructure, he’s simply the best, in education and health, he has no rival in terms of performance. What about youth empowerment? This is why he’s winning so many awards.
In security where many people want to capitalize on to talk, just a few days ago, he responded in a huge way by launching the “Operation Udo Ga Achi”. Today, criminals in Anambra are receiving his messages for them in the language they understand better. So, the man has done well and will continue to do well in promoting the image of APGA. I’ll urge Anambra people to keep supporting him to complete his wonderful mission there.
I think Anambra people should consider themselves as one of the best states in this country because of the leadership APGA has offered to them for several years now. There’s nothing as good as continuity in governance. They’ve had governors who are not wasteful in terms of finance. There’s a buildup as far as development is concerned in Anambra. I’ll urge the people to continue in their trajectory of electing APGA governors, for if the pot is not broken, there’s no need of amending it. He’s equally building a new city in Awka silently.
Why is APGA finding it difficult to penetrate the South-East?
It’s a point, but it’s something we can handle. That was what informed the assessment and sensitization tour that we’ve just started. The South-East APGA leadership headed by me is touring the entire five South-East states. On the 3rd of January, we were in Imo State to address our people and they were happy. On the 18th of January, we were at Enugu as well to interact with our people. All these are to engage and strengthen the party for 2027 because we’re going to secure some states and that’s for sure.
I want to use this opportunity to call the entire South-East people to see APGA as their only channel to good governance. Other regions are embracing APGA so, I’ll urge our people to take the opportunity that APGA is offering now and change their history for the better. Our people have been clamouring for President of Igbo extraction and there’s no other platform that can help the Igbos to achieve it except APGA.
I said it because our people need to be patient and learn from President Bola Tinubu’s political trajectory. He was governor in Lagos State, under the Alliance For Democracy (AD). He made very good use of AD in building and move to the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN). Tinubu has invested in the lives of many people to the level that it is extremely difficult to get to any important government office today where you’ll not see one or two people built by Tinubu. He empowered many people politically and in other endeavours.
Look at the ranks of his loyalists, you’ll see former governors, present governors, former and serving senators. The story could even extend to top security chiefs who he may have been the one that helped them some time in their life history. I advise the political leaders in Igboland to forget about this self-centred attitude and think of how to extend their tentacles even beyond the borders of Igboland. I don’t know how to describe some of our political leaders here, but let me be soft by saying they’re just self-centered and selfish. They’re not prepared to develop anybody or invest in anybody. If the South-East can be politically creative, using APGA to link up with the Middle Belt and South-South, tell me what will stop an Igbo man from becoming president? The problem is that most of them are so self-centered.
With the situation of the PDP now, do you now see LP and APC as a threat to APGA here in the South-East?
I don’t see the Labour Party as a threat to APGA in the South-East. The Labour Party triumphed in the South-East in the last election because there was this push to produce a Nigerian President of Igbo extraction. When Peter Obi came out, if you can remember, Dr Alex Otti was not even in the equation of those likely to win here in Abia.
However, because of a court case by some political merchants that affected APGA, that made everyone see APGA as a party without a governorship candidate. The situation unsettled Abia electorate who were confused about what to do and who to vote for. While they were trying to adjust and balance their confusion to make a decision, things were getting late for APGA. By the time the Supreme Court gave verdict to Professor Greg Ibe as our candidate, the Obi wave had already taken over the South-East and parts of Nigeria. That was how Dr Alex Otti came in through that wave to re-announce himself for the governorship election and the rest is history.
do you think the LP cannot sustain its victory in 2023 to take Abia in 2027 election?
I don’t think they can. See, by 2027, the Labour Party must have diminished. Look at what is happening in Abia State? Zenith Labour Party (ZLP) is in charge of 15 Local Government Areas. Who knows what will happen between ZLP and LP here tomorrow? Also, look at the situation at their national level. Look at what’s happening between Julius Abure, Peter Obi and Alex Otti, the presumed leader of the party. You can see that the situation they were in 2023 is no longer the same. You can’t predict them anymore in terms of togetherness to galvanize Nigerians because each of them has different plans now.
As for APC here in the South-East, they know very well that they’re not grounded here. By the time we finish our sensitization and reorganization in APGA, the influence of APC in the South-East will reduce because they’re only there because of the gaps that opened politically here in the East due to our own problems and many other things. Take it from me, APC will diminish in the South-East soon because they’re just floating without strong organic support. It’s just a gathering of opportunists who saw a platform to get something from Abuja.
APC has caused much pain and hardship for Nigerians. Our people are disgusted with the policies of APC. People are hungry, the cost of transportation is so high. So, what’s the ground for anybody to applaud APC and vote for them? The suffering in the land alone is enough to make APC diminish here even with no political effort from APGA. I trust the Igbos. They can make decisions when necessary. The support Peter Obi got in the last election will not repeat, therefore, anybody expecting these other parties without organic support here to make headway in 2027 is having a pipe dream.
Why do you say he cannot get similar support again?
Is it not obvious? See, politics can be predicted with obvious circumstances and happenings around us. It doesn’t require rocket science to tell you that Nigerians will try something new in 2027. Minus prediction, Obi’s fate in Nigerian politics is clear. This one is crystal clear that he’ll not get the same support anymore.
So, what do you think obi and likes should do now to remain up there politically?
Let me be frank to you, let all politicians, especially those from the South-East whose roots are in APGA, including Peter Obi, return and get the blessings to achieve what they want. APGA can give them what they want. Aside from Peter Obi, I’m saying the same thing to Rochas Okorocha. Let him return to where he got his name first and see the difference. If Obi wants to be president, let him return to APGA. We can make the moves, get necessary political alliances that can get him where he wants. Did you not see and watch how these political parties treated all of them during their primaries in 2023?
He saw political leaders from South-East lamenting about the maltreatment in the party they spent their money and time to build thinking it’s their home. Unfortunately for them, they don’t know that APGA is the only political home they have. Those who are smart are returning to APGA because it’s the only strong vehicle through which the South-East can negotiate power and get it. These other parties will always remind them who they are when it gets to a serious election no matter how qualified they’re.
So, Rochas Okorocha should return. He started with APGA, made a name in APGA and then dumped APGA while seeking to be president. How many people did he invest in or developed politically to help carry his vision? He should come back to his roots. I say the same thing to Rochas Okorocha. If he wants to be politically relevant again, he should come back to APGA. Take a very good look at the Orlu Senatorial Zone where he could not even get an APC ticket as he lost it to Osita Izunaso? Really? Rochas Okorocha shouldn’t lose election in the Orlu Zone to anybody, especially now that APC has failed woefully.
He can stop whoever the APC will present in Orlu in 2027, whether Izunaso or anybody. Only APGA can give him that opportunity and both of them, I mean Obi and Rochas and so many others that I can’t mention need to do things right earlier. Remember that before APGA gave Rochas a ticket to contest in 2011, he was floating without a base. When he became governor under APGA, we all saw that he did marvelously well under APGA for two years, more than some eight years governors. Immediately after he left, it became his mistake. So, he should come back to his root and receive the blessings of our heroes past who are today weeping in their grave about what’s happening here in Igboland in terms of leadership and the obvious marginalization of the South-East.
Does APGA really have the platform to entice these people to return?
Of course, APGA does. They know that APGA is the only vehicle that will bring them out of political wilderness. Someone that made you when you were nothing can still amend you when you’re broken into nothing because he knows the tools to assemble together and get you working again. Who were they back then before this same APGA gave them the platform to perform? I know that some of them will be afraid to return to APGA because they didn’t invest in people to carry out their visions. How many people can you vividly point at today as Peter Obi’s political investment that’s at the top today? The same question goes for Rochas Okorocha.
Who did they develop politically? Let them just come back and see their roots. APC, and PDP have absolutely nothing to offer them. They’ll receive negative treatment from the parties they thought they belonged to. However, they must remember they have a home, APGA where they’ll be treated equally and allowed to compete favourably. Nobody should deceive you; politics is a game of discipleship. Those you mentored today can be your stepping stone into top office tomorrow. You can’t take what you didn’t give. It’s high time our political leaders started building people from home and across the nation. It’s important, as people you empowered to get to the top will throw down their ropes to help you climb higher if need be.
What’s your opinion on this marginalization issue, are the South-East doing enough to warrant people pointing accusing fingers elsewhere?
What do you expect people whose loyalty lies elsewhere outside their land to say or do about the marginalization of their people? Of course, they’re afraid of losing their tickets to return to their various political positions. That’s why speaking about the marginalization of the South-East sounds like an abomination in the mouths of some of them. This is where APGA comes in. Nobody will deny you a ticket in APGA because you are speaking the truth. APGA will support you, give you the ticket to continue speaking the truth and standing on the truth. Any reasonable Igboman that wants to sustain his career politically and loved by people should see APGA as the platform to be in. We’ll give them the platform to play politics that will help develop their various constituencies.
What’s your take on the call for the release of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu?
I appeal to President Bola Tinubu to release Nnamdi Kanu because I believe the move would help to restore peace and security in the South-East region, which has been plagued by violence and instability since the arrest of Kanu. Releasing him would be a significant step in addressing the root causes of the conflict and promoting dialogue. The gesture of releasing him would help in restoring the economic crisis that had bedeviled the South-East since the Monday sit-at-home that had initially started in protest over his incarceration. His detention has exacerbated the security situation in the region and his release is not only a security concern but will also promote economic development in the South-East. I plead with Mr. President to temper justice with mercy.
What will you suggest as some solution to the insecurity in the South-East for now?
My first solution is the release of Nnamdi Kanu. His release will really make security agencies focus on what’s necessary and areas necessary. Again, I can only call for collaborative initiative between the Nigeria Police, the Nigerian youths and the traditional rulers in identifying the underlying causes of crime, such as poverty, unemployment, and lack of education.
Community policing will reduce insecurity vibes in the South-East, as every community knows her bad eggs and the community that should monitor and report suspicious activities can easily handle these bad eggs. It is not too late, therefore; I call for the promotion of education and awareness workshops, seminars, and campaigns to educate youths about the consequences of crime and the importance of crime prevention. Traditional rulers should collaborate with law enforcement agents to provide information and support crime prevention efforts and should also promote cultural values and traditions that emphasize respect for life, property, and authority.
Please follow and like us:
