In this interview with Regional Editor, South-East, SUNNY IGBOANUGO, Okorie said so far, only APGA is poised to actualise Igbo dream of producing Nigeria’s president. Excerpts

H ow did your meeting go last weekend? What were the resolutions?

Well, the meeting was the caucus of the South-East Congress. The South East Congress is the new name we gave to the South-East Political Leaders Forum, which Chief Edwin Ume-Ezeoke and I are co-conveners. That particular meeting was stalled a bit, because of the APGA crisis. But now the APGA crisis has taken a definite shape, heading for a quick resolution, one way or the other, legally or politically. So, we decided to renew efforts, because time is of the essence. So, the caucus met and took far-reaching decisions. One of the highlights of the meeting is that Igbo people will contest the 2007 presidential election. Igbo people will fight together on the platform of one political party. And that party is APGA, and that APGA is the one under my leadership. The committee set up at the previous meeting, headed by Dr. E.J.K. Onyewuchi, the ANPP Chairman in Imo state, submitted a report, in which they said that they had investigated the allegations against me and found them to be frivolous. They have also visited offices of APGA in the South-East zone and found out that all the officers were loyal to Chief Chekwas Okorie. They also contacted other members and Igbo people generally and they said that the APGA they would want to associate with is the APGA under my leadership. That was in their report and that report was adopted. We now also agreed that APGA would go into alliance with any of the major political parties, who have definite constituencies, for the purpose of forming a viable coalition government in 2007. APGA would be prepared, that is the South East Congress under APGA, would be prepared to assume either a senior or junior partner in that alliance, depending on our performance. It was also agreed, to sell this effectively to Igbo people. All the other similar organisations in Igbo land would be invited to participate actively in the activities of the South-East Congress. So the Onyewuchi committee was then further mandated to continue with their assignment of reaching out to the other groups. Another highlight of the caucus meeting was that the caucus would now move from state to state, beginning with Anambra. So by November, about the 20th of November, the South East Congress would be meeting in Awka, Anambra State. The caucus would now be holding a day before the congress itself. So, the next caucus would be at Chief Ume-Ezeoke’s residence in Amichi. In fact, he is the Chairman. We believe that in five months, we would already be in 2006. We would have covered the whole of Igbo land and then, we can take Delta and Rivers, where Igbo people are domiciled and then come back to the round table to see how far we have gone.

What was the attendance like?

Well, being a caucus, it was limited. We invited the governors, all of them. We received goodwill messages. They didn’t send representatives. But Chief Ume-Ezeoke, the Chairma was there. Myself, the co-convener, then Dr. Chudi Nwike, the National Treasurer of AD was there, Reverend Obioha, the Vice Chairman South-East, AD was there. From the ANPP side, of course I mentioned Dr. E.J.K. Onyewuchi. Don’t forget that Chief Ume-Ezeoke is the Deputy Chairman, Board of Trustees of ANPP. Chief Anike Nwoga, the National Youth Leader of ANPP was there. Dr. Joe Nworgu and Prof. Nworgu were there. Prof. Bonny Okere was also there, Chief (Mrs.) Maria Okwo and Chief Bridget Orjiako, former Commissioner in Anambra State, were there. Quite a number of people came. I can’t remember their names. But we were about 30, selected from the various states. Those who couldn’t make it, who belonged to the caucus, including Dr. John Okam, and Dr. Francis Egu, the secretary really, but he became ill and could not make it and somebody stood in for him.

Is this not another individual, independent and fragmented attempt at solving the Igbo problem, which has been identified as one of the greatest hiccup against achieving that goal? I ask this because there are some big names I expected to hear, which I did not hear. So what is the picture, where do they fit in?

No, quite frankly, when this thing started, there were other people. Chief John Nnia Nwodo was part of us originally, although I am not saying that he is no longer part of us, because he sent words to say that he was not disposed, Dr. Ikedife, who is a known name in Anambra and Igbo land, also sent in his regrets. I don’t want to start naming our members who didn’t come. I just talked about those who were there. But going to the question proper, I agree with you that a number of experiments have been made in Igboland to find a common platform for the promotion of Igbo political agenda. But one experiment has succeeded and that is the APGA experiment. Nobody can say that APGA has not become a movement, a political movement for Igbo people. So what is now left is to bring people, who belong to other political parties to see reason why it is in the collective interest of the Igbo people to embrace the movement called APGA, even if they still remain where they are, for the purposes of negotiating our people back into the mainstream of Nigerian politics, instead of the individual negotiations that have failed over the years. And in order to carry more people along, that was why the Dr. E.J.K. Onyewuchi committee was set up and further directed to reach out to these other groups that are springing up now and again.

The South East Congress is ahead of the others. The others are still at that preliminary stage of trying to organise. There is nothing you can do politically, in any part of the world, without pursuing them politically. That is why, when you hear that Ohaneze is going to bring a consensus candidate, it sounds so naïve and laughable. Because a cultural group cannot just bring a candidate and post him to a party. It is the party that can bring a presidential candidate, so that the cultural group can now work through the party. This is where the Yorubas are a bit more organised, where the Afenifere, know s that it is not a political group, so it works through the AD. Arewa would do the same thing through the ANPP. So the congress has identified a political party. And the people of the South East area, without being prompted, have also identified a political party of their own. So all we have to do now is to assure all the other people that they have accommodation in APGA and that nobody would be judged in terms of the time he joined. You can come and promote your own political agenda, aspiration, on that platform.

What is happening in the PDP, has helped to reinforce the fact that come rain, come shine, your own is your own. So, I believe that as we move from this stage, people will begin to see how all-embracing, the movement is. And it is to allow politicians and non-politicians the chance to participate in packaging the Igbo political agenda that we decided to use a name that is not a registered political party. But there is no doubt in our minds as to the vehicle to be used in actualising that agenda. That is the difference. Between the South East Congress and any other formation in Igboland. If you ask the others, they will not be able to pinpoint. If they tell you that it is the PDP, of course, immediately you begin to laugh, because PDP has been appropriated, and we know who appropriated it and that the Igbo interest is not part of their programme there.

So you believe that the project by Ndigbo to produce the next president of the country is still viable?

Yes. It is still viable. What we continue to harp on is to ensure free and fair election. Once we have an election in which the votes of voters will count, I don’t see how that cannot happen. Ordinarily, nobody would have expected that MRS. Angel Merkel of the Christian Democratic Union of Germany would become Chancellor. But when they went to election that was free and fair and there was no clear winner, her party was able to negotiate itself into prominence by giving accommodation to others and that saw to her emergence. In arrangement in which the LPD got more of the prominent ministerial position over and above the LCDU that is forming the government, that is what coalition is all about. That is why I said we will be prepared to either be senior or junior in the coalition. If there are two or three parties that have agreed to go into coalition, we must have an open mind that whoever is senior in terms of performance will be allowed to form government. So, with that arrangement, the two or three parties that had agreed to work together will now know what their chances are if they eventually emerge. But it is not to throw up our hands and say we cannot produce this thing when the prospect of becoming senior in that coalition is prized.

What are the indicators to guide you?

Majority of Nigerian progressives are inclined to APGA because it is broad based than the other parties. The PDP actually is not a progressive party. In fact, it is one of the most reactionary parties we have ever had in this country. There is no amount of pretence that will make people not to see the reality. The entire South-East people are emotionally and sentimentally attached to APGA. And I can tell you why: When we were conceptualising this party, it was deliberate on my part, because I initiated and conceptualised what is called APGA today. It was deliberate on my part to come up with the logo, the Cockerel. I also came up with the name UPGA. UPGA was a kind of an alliance, which was not a political party in 1954 when it was formed. Dr. Michael Okpara was the leader, with deputy leader, Michael Fajemro, from the west. And then the cock on the symbol of the NCNC which Dr. Nnamdi Azikwe led. So, I thought that I needed to gain two things that will evoke the memory of these great icons politically. So, I brought these things in. I then came up with an additional amendment to their condition that no name used before will be allowed to be used again and no logo or symbol used before will be allowed to be used again. I then went back to the drawing board and changed United to All. That was how we moved from UPGA to APGA. And then, we used the acronym, ADDA and put it under the cock, so that the cock can hang on the acronym. And that has therefore changed the logo. So, this invoked the reaction that we expected and that was how people came to be attached with it up till today. That is one.

Now, you go to areas where the NCNC and UPGA influenced, the Middle Belt, the UNITED Middle Belt Congress, led by J.S Taka was part of UPGA and of course the West. NCNC was part of UPGA, the Bornu Youth Movement was part of NCNC. The Northern Elements Progressive Union was part of UPGA. So, all those places that UPGA covered, either the same people or their children or those who were much younger at the time are naturally attached to APGA. So, this is the foundation from where we are going. And that is why in spite of APGA not having one local government to its credit, it became the fastest growing political party, rising to become the foremost opposition party over and above the ANPP that has seven governors and several local governments and senators and legislators at the National Assembly. So, we have a strong foundation. There is no doubt that there is crisis at the centre but the crisis would soon be over and then we would do a double-quick match to recover lost grounds. But I will tell you again about the presidential ambition in APGA now. We have two approaches at hand. It is either one long jump from where we are now into Aso Rock or up step and jump. These are two athletic events: the long jump and the up step and jump. So, this up step and jump is the one that we will capture through coalition. A long jump is when we do it, alone which is a little bit more remote.

Recently, you made a call to Igbo people to rise and fight the war that is about to consume them. I don’t know if there has been any reaction since when you echoed that challenge?

Well, there were some reactions. For instance, the South-East Congress considered very seriously sending a high power delegation led by its Chairman to Professor Maurice Iwu to find out why he would choose to destroy APGA; to find out why APGA constitution could be so flagrantly violated under him? If it was true that the Guobadia regime took the decision, as he is claming, why didn’t they implement it? If they allowed him to come and do it, why didn’t he ask questions if he was to be believed at all? That they were not saying that Chekwas Okorie must be chairman at all cost but that their position is that if Chekwas Okorie must be removed at all cost there should be due process in his removal. The congress also frowned at a situation where an Igbo man like him will be used to distabilised the Igbo political agenda. That was considered; and there was another opinion to tarry a while, may be for one or two more weeks to see whether based on all the memoranda sent to him from many quarters including APGA, he would have a rethink. If he doesn’t, then they would go to meet him with these views; and whatever he says will be made available to entire Igbo people; perhaps in the next five weeks congress and meetings coming up in Awka on the 20th of November and then Igbo people will know who their enemies are. This is because you must let the people know where their problems lie. And if it is from the internal force, they should be able to know that this is where it is coming from. And if it external forces, they should be able to know, because if you don’t know who your enemy is, you may be fighting in the wrong direction. But one thing is obvious, the Igbo people have decided that in 2007 they would be preparing for two things: first option is an election that will be free and fair, the second option is war in with which they will defend themselves. A situation where somebody will come in, write results and ask us to go to court will not arise again and it will not be tolerated. So, if anybody is nursing that kind of idea, that he can manipulate machines and deny the Igbo people their inalienable right to choose their leaders, the person should just forget such ambition because it will not be taken or tolerated.

How prepared is APGA for elections?

Well, by now some people would have indicated interest to run on the platform of the party but with the confusion Maurice Iwu has created, it would be difficult to present a candidate until this matter is resolved. And this is why we believe he is doing what he’s doing deliberately to make it difficult for APGA to present candidates and campaign for their candidates from the united platform. We hope he would not be seen as a traitor who has come to destroy Igbo people. I said this because there was an election a week ago in a ward, a bye –election in a ward in Isu local government of Imo State. And the State Independent Electoral Commission, INEC in Imo State decided for the first time, I don’t know whether it was because of the crisis in the PDP in which Achike Udenwa is being marginalised, but the commission decided to have a free and fair election. I am quoting the commission, there are 3,400 registered voters in that ward and because people no longer have interest to come out and vote, only 1105 voters voted. And they counted these votes in the ward there and then to the satisfaction of everybody. APGA got 1119 votes; PDP got 245 votes; the rest of the votes were shared by the remaining 28 olitical parties. This is a free and fair election in a ward in Imo State last weekend. So you can imagine that, and this happened when nobody went to campaign. When we have a candidate in a senatorial zone and we all launched out to campaign and if INEC decides to conduct a free and fair election, APGA will take 90 percent of the votes. And APGA candidate will be sworn in. So, that is why the PDP is tired of battling with APGA and Iwu has made himself a winning tool in their hands. He may continue to exacerbate the APGA crisis so that it would not be able to present the front. If there is change of mind on their part, I can assure you that APGA will not just present a candidate but would win.