…Urges Ndigbo to use APGA to negotiate with PDP, APC

By Chimaobi Nwaiwu

Nnewi—First son of first President of Nigeria, Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, Chief Chukwuma Bamidele Azikiwe, yesterday, in his Onisi Onira residence, urged Ndigbo to use the All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, to negotiate and bargain with the two leading political parties; Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and All Progressives Congress, APC, to better the lots of the people of the south-east.

He spoke when National Chairman of APGA, Sir Victor Umeh, led some of the party stalwarts, visited him.

According to him, “The Yoruba were very strong in Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, which they collapsed into All Progressives Congress, APC, the Hausas were strong in All Nigerian Peoples Party, ANPP, and Congress for Progressives Change, CPC, and they also collapsed it into APC because of the negotiation they went into.

”Now we have these two mega parties PDP and APC going to challenge each other, the rationale for APGA is to be a negotiating force and these two strong parties have to negotiate with APGA, the party should not give any of them automatic support, it has to negotiate with them since we are not featuring any presidential candidate.”

He said Ndigbo had to make the parties “to understand that unless they are willing and able to convince them on what they have for them and they will not be taken for granted any longer. Tell us what you have for us and then we will think about it, and decide where we are going.”

Speaking, Chief Umeh said nothing given to Ndigbo in Nigeria would be enough for what they had lost in the country in the last 40 years.

According to him, “I am contesting for Anambra Central Senatorial District in the 2015 to represent my people and fight for the interest of Ndigbo who have been so marginalized in Nigeria. I went to the National Conference, the little time I spent there, I saw the attitude of the rest of Nigerians towards Ndigbo. I discovered that nothing has changed for the better for Ndigbo. We must negotiate because nothing has changed.”