BY REV FR GERALD NWAFOR
This article is not to take sides or to denigrate anyone involved in the imbroglio that has enveloped our beloved political party given to us by our founding fathers, of which our warlord and emperor Dim Chukwuemeka Odimegwu Ojukwu (The people’s general) served as the presidential candidate until his demise on November 26, 2011. This political party has distinguished the political terrain of Anambra State from the rest of Nigeria, starting from the time of the first governor in the person of Mr. Gregory Peter Onwubuasi Obi (Okwute), who served as a prototype for good governance for the rest of the governors in Nigeria. Mr. Peter Obi handed over to Mr. Willie Obiano and Obiano handed over to Professor Charles Chukwuma Soludo, who was the former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria. Since June 14, 2007, till date, the people of Anambra state have enjoyed the benefit of good governance orchestrated by the APGA-led government in Anambra state. I watched live on television when Mr. Victor Umeh said that he had received the certificate of return for the elected governor for the fifth time. I always watch the faces of our old and young people when the result reads that APGA is the winner. There is a big joy in the land. It is taken for granted that anyone who becomes the gubernatorial candidate of APGA will win the governorship election. Even when the heavyweights in APGA left the party for another political party they were not able to persuade the people to vote for another party, because the APGA party is no longer a party but an identity of the people of Anambra and it is a symbol of success and development in the Nigerian political structure. It was on this high road and achieved dreams that my heart started bleeding when I saw the division in our beloved party between one Chief Edozie Njoku and Mr. Sylvester Ezeokenwa in a power tussle for the soul of our beloved APGA (Nkea bu nke anyi). Both Edozie and Sylvester cannot be correct. But in a situation where two people claimed to be ignorant of the facts and truth, the elders in the land would interfere to broker peace. If not, I can assure you that Chinua Achebe would happen to APGA, and “THINGS WOULD FALL APART.”The victory of LP (Labour Party) in Abia state could have been the victory of APGA if the house was in order. I would not like to be a prophet of doom but if Edozie and Sylvester do not sheathe their swords and make a lasting peace before December 2024, I can tell you for free that the Abia template is brewing in Anambra state, not minding all the developments and success of APGA government in Anambra state. A house divided against itself is bound to fall. I have listened to Chief Edozie, and I have listened to Mr. Sylvester; both had sound logic which is very compelling but not convincing because as an adult I know that they are each protecting their interest. I do not understand why these men should put their interests above the institution that has given them life and fame. If they destroy APGA in their quest for power they will be politically moribund for at least some years. PDP (Peoples Democratic Party) lost power to APC because of the division that happened within the party in 2014. If you remember how big PDP was from 1999 to 2014, you would not believe that they would be out of power soon. But today look at what internal wrangling did to the once largest party in Africa. If internal war did not consume the warrior, he would be assured of gray hair (Agha uno eliro dike isi na acha ya awo). APGA does not waste a lot of resources to campaign in Anambra to win an election. Anambra was the bedrock of APGA. By the way, we have watched this kind of drama before between Mr. Victor Umeh and Mr. Max Okwu, but the dramatis personae involved in that episode were smart enough to involve the stakeholders to put out the fire before it became a behemoth and consumed everyone. Today I am calling on the stakeholders of APGA to act smoothly and quickly before it is too late. The rat should not knowingly bite the native doctor’s bag, and the native doctor should not curse the rat (oke amanauma takaa akpa nwa dibia ma nwa dibia amana uma abu oke onu). APGA should not taste the patience and wisdom of the Anambra people because Edozie and Sylvester were fighting for positions that would benefit only two of them.We saw in 2022 what happened to PDP and when they could not come back as a strong opposition. In chemistry class, we were told that if you have 95% clean drinking water and introduce 5% of a deadly poison inside the water, the whole water has been contaminated and can kill. APGA should look inwardly and clean up the unscrupulous elements for the party to survive. In one of our Shakespearean literary works, William Shakespeare wrote about Caesar, ‘Friends, Romans and countrymen, I am here to bury Caesar not to praise him.” But a Nigerian refined politician Sir Augustine Ezenwa (Agbala Nze Abagana) said that he had come not to praise Caesar nor to bury him but to discuss the survival of the great Roman Empire. In the same way, it should not be about who would be the APGA chairman between Edozie and Sylvester but how can we take back our party given to us by our noble fathers. Edozie would come and go, Sylvester would come and go but APGA would remain. I do not know who is beating this drum which both men were dancing to, I hope it is not sulugede-dance because that is the dance of the spirit. It would not end well if these drums of war are being sponsored by those who do not value the progress of the Igbo people, and us, our two sons to sow this discord that APGA would not present a formidable candidate in 2025. I can assure you that Abia State template is loading already.
