APGA holds special convention December 17 to ratify Jonathan’s adoption

The All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) has fixed December 17 for a special national convention to formally adopt President Goodluck Jonathan as its candidate for the 2015 presidential election.

Also, the convention will be used to ratify the appointment of the Anambra State Governor, Chief Wiliie Obiano, as the party’s leader and chairman of its Board of Trustees (BoT) and adopt the APGA amended Constitution.

This was the outcome of a meeting by the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party held in Abuja. The APGA ruling organ also ratified the suspension of the Abia State Chairman of the party, Prince Nnanna Ukaegbu, with immediate effect for alleged anti-party activities and directed its National Vice Chairman, South-East, Uchenna Okogbuo, to oversee the affairs of the party in conjunction with the Abia State Executive Committee of the party.
According to a statement signed by APGA National Chairman, Chief Victor Umeh, and the National Secretary, Dr. Sani Abdulahi Shinkafi, the NWC resolved that the purported clearance of Prince Nicholas Ukachukwu by the five-man National Assembly Screening Appeal Panel should be reversed and his non-clearance restored.
On the reasons for its decision, the NWC stated: “The five-man National Assembly Screening Appeal Panel became truncated and therefore, improperly constituted, when it did not sit as a full panel in accordance with Article 23(2) of the APGA Electoral Guidelines for the 2014 primary elections.
“The aspirant, when asked in his nomination form, sworn under oath, failed to disclose the pendency of a criminal charge against him at the Federal High Court, Lafia.
“Given the aspirant’s political history and voyage, the National Working Committee noted that the aspirant might defect to another party if elected on the platform of APGA.”
The NWC noted that the aspirant had, in the past, moved from the PDP to ANPP, then to Hope Democratic Party and back to the PDP and now to APGA. The wave of defections the party had suffered recently from elected political office holders who absconded from the party with the party’s mandate is a great source of concern for the party.”
Elaborating on the resolutions, while speaking to newsmen, Umeh declared that APGA would no longer offer its platform to politicians who would use the party to win elections only to dump it later.