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Barely three months away from the 2023 presidential election, the readiness of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) for the election, including that of its presidential candidate, Peter Umeadi, appears to be on a low key. So far, the quartet of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Labour Party (LP) and the New Nigeria People›s Party (NNPP) have been in the news more than other parties. This development, it seemed, has drowned the APGA. While the APC, PDP, LP come up in conversations of possible win, APGA rarely comes up in such conversations.
Out of the eighteen political parties listed for the 2023 general elections by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), APGA is one of the parties whose campaign has not been pronounced. The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) had in September inaugurated its 600-member presidential campaign council, followed by the All Progressives Congress (APC) which in mid-October inaugurated its presidential campaign Council, same with the Labour Party. For APGA, it has remained a promise for 3000-member council, yet to be inaugurated less than 100 days to the presidential election.
The APGA has been drawn in the murky waters of self-infliction occasioned by disputes among its members on the bona fide leadership. There is the leadership of Victor Oye on the one hand and the leadership of Chief Edozie Njoku, on the other hand. The Edozie-led group had severally called on the INEC to replace the Oye-led executives with her team. In advancing it claim its severally made recourse to a supreme court judgement which it claimed erroneously recognized Victor Oye. He had argued that the Supreme Court judgment was in favour of the unrecognized executive. It is on record that the Chief Njoku Edozie and a team of others have consistently, asked the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to recognize her team as the authentic leaders of the party.
National chairman of the party, Dr Victor Ikechuwkwu Oye said there was no crisis whatsoever in APGA. On APGA leadership, he maintained that there was no tussle distracting the party from being ready for the 2023 presidential election. Meanwhile, on the list of presidential candidate for the 2023 general election, on the INEC website, Umeadi Nnanna Chukwudi Peter is recognized as presidential candidate of APGA, a further confirmation of the Victor Oye led APGA.
The lull in campaign activities is also seen in that the presidential candidate of the APGA, Peter Umeadi has spoken less about his presidential bid. However, national chairman of the party, Oye said: “We are prepared, except that we do not make noise about it. We believe more in the power of the people. Nobody can choose for the people even though preparation is relative. It is different from one party to another.
“What is readiness in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) may not be readiness in the All Progressives Congress (APC). What is important is getting to the grassroot where the votes are. Having regular interface with the actual voters is what we are doing.
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“So we are not averse to criticism. What we do not tolerate is evil. We stand against it at all times. Our Presidential candidate, His Lordship Peter Umeadi is the best in Nigeria. He is from Anambra state, President of life benchers association, he is not a small person. Unfortunately, our society, does not accord respect to whom it is due. That is why those who are not even fit, are contesting against those who are fit. When I am talking about being fit, I mean morally mentally and spiritually as well.”
“Strategy varies from one party to the other, we are ready with our campaign council. Any moment from now we would release the list. We are keeping the list. From today we have a little less than 100 days to the elections. Recall that before now we use to have shorter periods. Now we have the pleasure of time and many people will be caught unawares.
“Some started too early, by the time money would be needed to run the main cause, APGA would not be gasping for the funding her logistics, so it is a strategy. What we are doing now is to get to the grassroot quietly, so that when we launch the campaign people will build and drive the campaign from the grassroot. It will gain momentum and traction immediately towards the win that would lead to genuine transformation of Nigeria.”
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