Okorie returns to APGA eight years after

There are strong indications that the founding National Chairman of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Chief Chekwas Okorie, would return to the party on Wednesday, June 1, 2022, about eight years after he dumped the party.

Okorie left APGA in 2012 and formed the United Progressive Party (UPP), following leadership crisis within the party.

The Guardian gathered that his decision to return to APGA followed the visit by the Edozie Njoku-led leadership of the party to him recently.

Njoku had led a delegation of the party to Okorie’s residence in Enugu, where they apologised to him on behalf of the party, over certain actions allegedly meted against him.

Confirming the development, yesterday, Okorie said it had to do with the recognition recently accorded to Njoku as the authentic national chairman of the party.

He said: “I left APGA in May 2012 and got UPP founded in October 2012. My departure was basically because both the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the judiciary refused to follow the stipulations of the law. No court declared Victor Umeh the national chairman. In 2010, Umeh was not in any position to sign Peter Obi’s nomination form for second term in office. It was my secretary and late Odimegwu Ojukwu, who signed, on my consent. It was only in 2013 that Victor Umeh signed nomination form, which was Willie Obiano’s form.

“The decision to return to the party is because Njoku’s leadership of the party apologised to me, on behalf of the party; and being the father of the party, I found it duty-bound to accept the apology.

“The second reason is that the Supreme Court of Nigeria corrected the mistake they made in 2001 and restored Edozie Njoku as the authentic National Chairman of APGA.”

So, by the pronouncement of the Supreme Court, as amended, authenticated by the head of that panel, Justice Mary Odili, I am confident that I am returning to the authentic APGA. It will be my interest to restore the party and put it on the track upon which it was founded and give Igbo a platform for engagement and honour.”