…Sets to meet Obiano, Oye, others
ABUJA – National Chairman of All Progressive Grand Alliance, APGA, Chief Martin Agbaso has declared that the ruling party will retain the governorship position in Anambra State during the November 18, 2017 governorship election in the state.

Agbaso

Chief Agbaso, who made the declaration when he assumed office at the party’s secretariat as its new national chairman in Abuja, said the real battle for the party to retain the governorship of Anambra state has begun.

Agbasu’s assumption of office followed an Appeal Court affirmation of the Order of Mandamus to both the Independent National Elect\oral Commission, INEC, and the Nigeria Police to recognize and deal with him as the authentic national chairman of the party.

The Court of Appeal in Enugu had on July 10, affirmed the earlier order from a High Court on May 22 and the Police yesterday obliged by providing adequate security for Chief Agbaso and the members of his National working Committee, NWC.

Backed by a team of police officers, under the leadership of ASP Hassan Sani, the acting chairman, who assumed duty with all the members of his NWC inspected the premises and all the offices at the secretariat, accompanied by the secretariat staff on ground.

The new APGA boss said that he would lead a team of APGA member to meet with the leader of the party and governor of Anambra state, Chief Willie Obiano, adding that “The real battle for the party to retain the governorship of Anambra state has begun.”

According to him, “We have taken possession of the leadership of our great party. As you are aware, the High Court in Enugu issued an Order of Mandamus to INEC and Police to recognize me as the authentic national chairman of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA). It took a little bit of time, and they appealed that case, but the Appeal Court affirmed the decision of the High Court.

“The Nigeria Police Force, as a responsible organ of government has demonstrated that will to comply with the rule of law and to ensure that democracy takes its rightful hold in the country. So the Police, under the instruction of the IGP, have given me access to the national office of APGA.

“With our taking over of APGA today, the real battle to retain Anambra state has just begun. We are set now to work, in the next couple of days; we will be travelling to Awka to meet the leader of our great party and governor of Anambra state, Chief Willie Obiano.

“I extend out hands of fellowship to all aggrieved persons in our party, including the former national chairman, Dr Victor Ike Oye to come together so that we forge a common front, so that we can we the Anambra state governorship election.

“We all have to close ranks because winning the Anambra state governorship election is of prime importance to us right now. We are putting our best legs in the battle, when we will conduct our party primaries on August 14.

“We will embrace internal democracy; make it open and transparent for Anambra people to keep believing in our great party.

“We will put our great party back to work, restore the confidence Nigerians have in us, give hope to our people and open windows of opportunity for Nigerians. That’s what APGA is all about and I am going to focus on all that with our taking over today”, he noted.

On situation at the national secretariat, he said, “I am deeply saddened that this is what APGA office turned out to be. I mean from the state of infrastructure you have seen here, you can tell that this place has not being properly run. Out work will cut out for us. We have to start by providing the basic tools that wee need to work with. We are just a couple of months away from a major election, and at least this place should be in beehive of activities now.

“There should have been people working on the local governments, that we have strength, the ward that were have strength, where we are weak, what should we do? There should have been people working here collaborating with what we have on ground in Anambra State.

“That’s how elections are won; they are not won in a vacuum. There has to be properly collaboration, synergy between what we have on the ground and what you are coordinating at the national office because what happens here means a lot because that will have to determine what happens in eventual outcome of the election.

“The governor of Anambra State is the leader of our party. So, everybody has his support. That is what is ought to be and that is what we hope it will be for us to moving forward.”