BY ENYIM ENYIM

ONITSHA — Embattled National Chairman of the All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, Chief Victor Umeh, yesterday, described the court ruling that sacked him as a boomerang on his traducers, especially Governor Peter Obi.

Umeh stated that the crisis had further created three parallel factions in the party which, according to him, is the product of Governor Obi’s desire to destroy the party at the end of his tenure.

Speaking with reporters,Umeh said: “I was the target for removal and all that they wanted me to do is leave the party. Ironically what the ruling gave them affected the rest of the 28 members of the National Executive Committee hence the National Working Committee and entire national elective officers are no more.

“In our APGA constitution, there is nothing like acting chairman or interim chairman of the party. So, what they are doing is an exercise in futility and the man called Maxi Okwu that is parading himself as acting national chairman cannot function as chairman because it is unconstitutional.”

Umeh noted that why his opponents hurriedly appointed acting chairman was because the presiding judge delayed in granting his application for stay of execution, an opportunity his opponents exploited.

However, Umeh expressed optimism that the Appeal Court could up-tum the ruling of the lower court, insisting that it was a miscarriage of justice.

The ousted chairman further accused Governor Obi of political fragmentations in the APGA, saying: “You all saw what happened in Awka over the weekend where we had two different APGA rallies, one by Senator Annie Okonkwo on one side and Peter Obi on the other.

“We now have three factions, APGA of PDP, APGA of APC and then the APGA of APGA.”