JUST IN: I’m still Abia APGA Chairman — Ukaegbu

UMUAHIA- A chieftain of the All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, in Abia State, Prince Nnanna Ukaegbu, has said that he remains the chairman of the party in the State, stressing that he isn’t aware of any state congress to elect new officers of the party.

Ukaegbu, who stated this while reacting to the alleged conduct of the APGA Congress in the state, explained that those who claimed to have emerged as APGA state chairmen from the alleged congresses are doing so in disobedience to the April 7, 2022 judgment of the Court of Appeal which confirmed him as the authentic chairman of APGA in the state.

The Court of Appeal, Owerri Division, had on April 7, 2022, confirmed Ukaegbu as the authentic chairman of Abia APGA. However, Ambassador Sunday Onukwubiri and Chief Emmanuel Ugwu, are both laying claims to the chairmanship seat after emerging from parallel state congresses of the party.

Ukaegbu told Vanguard that the Constitution of the party vested the power to convene the state congresses on the state chairman of the party and wondered how Onukwubiri and Ugwu could claim to have held congresses to emerge parallel chairmen.

He disclosed that a former chairman of the party ,Rev. Augustine Ehiereme and Onukwubiri had filed a suit which is pending at the state high court ,Umuahia, asking the court to restrain him(Ukaegbu) from parading himself as the state chairman of APGA.

His words; “These are two groups of clowns running around, claiming that they held APGA state congress. You can see that they can’t even agree among themselves. These are people who neither understand the nature of our legal system. They are not democrats nor are they willing to respect and obey judgments from courts of competent jurisdiction.

“Abia APGA has not held any state congress. The court of Appeal, Owerri Division, on April 7, 2022, affirmed me as the state chairman of APGA. The judgment is still subsisting and has never been appealed upon.

“Besides this, there are two suits pending at the two High courts in Umuahia. One is at the Court of the chief judge of Abia state where the same group of people led by the former chairman, Augustine Ehiemere and Sunday Onukwubiri sued me in my capacity as the state chairman of APGA, asking the court to restrain me from parading myself as the state chairman of APGA. They are also asking the court to affirm that they are validly elected officers of the party.

“The two suits have been heard and set for judgment. If not for the ongoing industrial action embarked by the judicial workers, judgment would have been delivered in both cases.

“In the suit where they asked the court to restrain me from parading myself as the state chairman of APGA, they indirectly invited the high court to sit on appeal over a judgment of the court of appeal. They want the high court to set aside the pronouncement of the court of appeal which is a legal impossibility. They want the court to affirm them as the legitimate officers of the party, but the court has not ruled on that. So, since the court is yet to deliver judgment on the suit they filed, under what authority or law are they parading themselves as officers of the party? What they have done is a charade which can’t stand.

“Another one is that under APGA Constitution, only the state chairman can summon APGA state congress to elect state officers of the party. The state congress is the only body that can elect officers of the party. I have not summoned any state congress. Can a non-state chairman of APGA summon and preside over a state congress? Where did they derive the power to hold state congress in Abia? This is against the constitution of APGA. These are the issues that render their actions invalid and nugatory.”

Ukaegbu said he has concluded plans to inform the relevant institutions in the state about those impersonating his office as the state chairman of APGA.

He assured that the party would soon put its house in order from the ward to the national level to take its rightful place as the most organized political party in the country.

Ukaegbu expressed his happiness that the national chairmanship position of APGA has moved from Anambra state to another state, stressing that the development will reposition APGA and reaffirm it as a true national party.