The All Progressive Grand Alliance has
suspended Governor Rochas Okorocha of Imo
State over alleged involvement in anti-party
activities.
Rising from an emergency National
Executive Council held on Saturday in
Abuja, the party also dissolved its Imo
State chapter and resolved to appoint a 21-man
committee to oversee its affairs until a congress
was done.
But when contacted, the former Special Assistant
(Media) to Governor Okorocha, Mr. Ebere Uzouka,
told SUNDAY PUNCH that he was "no longer
competent to comment on the issue because the
governor has just dissolved his cabinet which
affected all of us."
The National Vice-Chairman of APGA (South-West),
Tayo Sowunmi, who read out the communiqué of
the NEC meeting, also said the party leaders
discussed preparations for the Anambra
gubernatorial election and approved guidelines for
the exercise.
He said, "The NEC unanimously resolved to
suspend, with immediate effect, the Governor of
Imo state, Rochas Okoroacha, from the party for
gross anti-party activities, bordering on his
involvement with the All Progressives Congress
contrary to the clear provisions of the APGA
constitution.
"The NEC also unanimously resolved to dissolve
the Imo state executive committee of APGA with
immediate effect. A 21-man caretaker committee
shall be appointed to run the affairs of the party in
Imo pending the conduct of state congress."
The party approved the party's electoral guidelines
for the Anambra State governorship primary
election for 2013 and afterwards adjoined its next
sitting till August 31.
Meanwhile, a former Governor of Central Bank of
Nigeria, Prof. Charles Soludo and former Minister of
State for Transportation, Mr. Emeka Okechukwu,
were among the 14 aspirants who collected and
submitted their forms for the governorship race in
Anambra.
The APGA National Chairman, Mr. Victor Umeh,
said barely three days after the party invited
aspirants to declare interest in the race scheduled
for November 16, no fewer than 14 persons had
already collected the expression of interest form.
He said, "We have opened the sale of the
expression of interest forms from the 29 of July to
August 2 and by the close of work on August 2, 14
people have taken the expression of interest forms.
"The people who have taken the expression of
interest forms will be expected to pick the
nomination forms and will be screened to face the
primary; the form for males is N10m and to
encourage women to actively participate, they will
pay N5m.
"We call on all the parties that are involved in the
Anambra State race to stick to the code of conduct
signed with the Independent National Electoral
Commission and shun all acts capable of causing
confusion during the elections."
He also said the meeting was summoned to prove
that the party's crisis had come to an end, adding
that with the return of peace among the key
stakeholders, APGA would retain the governorship
seat come November 16 election.
