By Chris Ochayi
ABJUA – The leadership of All Progressive Grand Alliance, APGA, said yesterday that the party would field a candidate for the office of the presidency in the 2019 general elections.

National Chairman of APGA, Dr. Victor Oye, who dropped the hint while speaking with newsmen shortly after the National Working Committee, NWC, meeting of the party in Abuja, said the party has commenced wide consultations across the six-geopolitical zones in order to achieve its dream.

Chief Victor Ike-Oye

Dr. Oye, whose party’s candidate, Chief Willy Obiano convincingly won his re-election in the November 18, 2017 governorship election in Anambra state, said the party was transforming into a big political party targeting the centre stage of the nation’s political arena.

He said the party is taking strategic sand giant step towards forming rainbow collaboration with other political parties in order to ensure victory at the 2019 presidential poll, adding, “Just in the last Anambra State governorship election, many political parties collapsed structures into APGA and we are wooing other parties for such collaboration.

“APGA wining the presidency is doable as we are more than ready to field a presidential candidate n the next presidential election”, he said.

He added, “This is the first election held in Nigeria which there was no chaos. All the people that contested with the governor had already thrown in the towel and have congratulated him. It is something worthy of emulation.

“And we believe that the present administration at the federal level will replicate what happened in Anambra State in 2019. If they start early to work towards achieving that goal it is very easy to achieve. Nigeria has got to a stage that if you are able to conduct free and fair elections. In fact, we have outgrown it. What happened in Anambra happened at the appropriate time.

“And we are happy that it happened under our leadership and under APGA. APGA has being working wonderfully in Anambra state. The governor has performed excellently.”

Oye said the performance of the party in Anambra state in the last three and half years under governor Obiano has attracted the party to many people across the nation, adding, “And that is why we are looking forward to do more harvests in other states around the nation.

“People are beginning to appreciate APGA as a political party. And it has confirmed what we have always told you that APGA is the only political party in Nigeria with cut clear ideology. So we are confidence that we will do better in 2019, leveraging the support we are getting from the press.”

Speaking on the outcome of the NWC meeting, the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Chief Ifeatu Obi-Okaye said, “ I think, leveraging on the election in Anambra State, the National Working Committee, NWC, took bold step today that we should expand the coast of the party. We are coming to the end of the year; we have set up great plans for the party.

“By next year, I want to assure you from the decisions we took today, that the party you see today will not be the party you will be seeing next year. You are coming next year to see a brand new APGA that is much bigger, that would be much larger, and that would be more colourful in terms of our approach, in terms of our relationship with public.

“We are a party have reviewed our progress and interest to public, particularly, in the South East and North West and North Central of the party, we set up committees which before Christmas will supply the secretariat with blue print upon which, will take off next year.”