BY ENYIM ENYIM
ONITSHA—The crisis in the All Progressive Grand Alliance, APGA, Monday, took a dramatic twist as Anambra State branch of the party insisted that the incumbent National Chairman, Chief Victor Umeh, could not be removed from office by any form of restructuring being touted by some members of the party.

Secretary of the party in the state, Mr Okoli Akirika, who spoke to reporters on the issue, said it was preposterous for any member of the party to start talking of restructuring aimed at removing Umeh now when his tenure of four years was renewed early this year.

He said the fact that only two of the 36 states of the federation where APGA has its presence want restructuring of the party to sack the National Chairman does not make any meaning and was of no effect.

He said: ”I want to tell you that the move by a few disgruntled individuals and groups to remove our National Chairman, Chief Victor Umeh is nonsensical.

“Those clamouring for change have a right to do so but they should do that in line with our party’s constitution.”

He said there was a convention of the party in Awka between January and February where Umeh’s four year’s tenure was renewed and wondered why some members of the party should now make a u- turn to not only agitate for restructuring but also change the present leadership of APGA at all levels.

The APGA boss also called on the federal government and the National Assembly to create more states in the South East to ensure equity among the federating units for the overall development of the country.

” More states should be created to give the south east a sense of belonging in this country.  There is a political imbalance in the way our federal allocation to states are shared and it is only when we have equal number of states in the various geo- political zones that we can march at par with our counterpart states,” he said.

On the call for  establishment of state police, Akirika said it was high time the federal government decentralised some of its powers to reflect true federalism in the country, saying for security to be guaranteed, there should be a devolution of power.

He said:  “ There should be a state police command with a regulated authority and legal frame work that will make certain crimes to be within the control of the state.

“Therefore, there should be a review of the constitution to correct all the incongruities in our law of the land.”