BY ANTHONIA ONWUKA

EVEN though the 2015 general elections are not around the corner, the polity is already being overheated by the debate over the zone that would produce Nigeria’s next president.

Already, political gladiators across the six geo-political zones, have been engaging in battle of wits in order to clinch the prime job.

While the Northern region appears hell bent about the presidency returning to the zone by 2015, the West does not seem to be in a hurry to produce another president after Gen Olusegun Obasanjo’s eight-year tenure.

The South East and the South South region, have also not hidden their desire of producing the country’s president in the next dispensation.

However, one factor that would make or mar the chances of any of the zones, is the question of unity and sense of purpose.

In this regard, the South-East region, appears very challenged following the prolonged  absence of unity in their fold.
For instance the protracted crisis ravaging the All  Progressives Grand Alliance APGA, which is perhaps the only visible political platform for Ndigbo, does not in any way constitute an asset to the 2015 dream.

Against this backdrop for a political cohesion among the indigines of the region, APG, recently called for total restructuring of all organs of the party, in order to present a formidable front in the next political dispensation.

The resolution is part of a five-point-communiqué issued at the end of a stakeholders meeting at the Enugu residence of Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu.

In a five point communiqué read by the National Vice Chairman of APGA, Morgan Anyalechi, the party agreed to build and strengthen its structures at all levels without delay in such a way to reflect the core values and strengths of the party as well as restructure and establish all organs of the party including Board of Trustees, (BOT) National caucus, National Executive Council, (NEC) and National working Committee, (NWC) among others.

The communiqué read in parts: “We call on the National Executive Committee, (NEC) of our party to organize a national convention without further delay and arrange to conduct proper congresses throughout the federation. Our party constitution provides that the convention and congresses of the party at the national, state and other levels shall be held at least once a year”.

While affirming unequivocally that the supreme leader of APGA remains Dim Odumegwu Ojukwu, even in death; the party also resolved to decentralize party structure and introduce derivation principle in the management and administration of party funds at all levels.”

Some of the party’s stalwarts, who attended the meeting at the CasaBianca residence of the late Ikemba included; Anambra State  Governor Peter Obi, Vice Chairman BOT, Dr. Tim Menakaya; Wife of the late Ikemba, Ambassador Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, Political Adviser to Governor of Imo State, P. C. Onuoha; the party’s leader in Enugu State, Dr. Emmanuel Ozoeneh; Dr. Odu Nwosu among others.

In his remarks Obi, regretted that most of people vilify him after all he suffered to bring the party to its present level, adding  that right from 1999 he had been personally bearing the financial burden of sustaining the party even through the three years of protracted legal battle to reclaim his mandate.

Indicating that though he had eighteen months to stay in his office as Governor, Obi said he was still willing and prepared to help move the party forward lamenting that a member of the party who could not win a ward election his state could send small messages warning members against attending the peace and confidence meeting at the residence of the party’s national leader, Ojukwu.

However wife of the late Ikemba Nnewi, Ambassador Odumegwu-Ojukwu, after thanking the Vice Chairman of the BOT, Dr. Menakaya for the “spectacular courage in summoning this meeting” warned the national chairman of the party, Umeh; not to destroy the legacies the Ikemba left for the Igbo stressing that no officer is greater than the party.

Tracing the litany of what she described as the destabilizing public utterance of the national chairman, Mrs. Ojukwu noted that though the call for peace is strident, “peace is expensive; it comes with a price” adding that “if we cannot pay the price, we cannot move this party forward”.

Earlier in his opening address, the Vice Chairman BOT, Dr. Tim Menakaya, explained that he summoned the meeting for the members to take a look at the party.