Fides Media Living the Faith
…Promises to Bring Back Obi, Chekwas to APGA
By Jude Atupulazi and Ikeugonna Eleke
The National Chairman of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Barr Sylvester Ezeokenwa, has praised President Bola Tinubu for his leadership of the country so far, expressing satisfaction that Tinubu was providing answers to the nation’s economy, including tackling insecurity. This is even as he promised to initiate moves to bring back Peter Obi and Chekwas Okorie to APGA.
Speaking at a press conference, August 21, at the Regional Headquarters of the party in Awka, Ezeokenwa called on him to ensure reduction in cost of governance.
‘I’m happy that Mr President is doing well. He has done remarkably well in security.
‘The level of violence in the country has died down and the president is creating ministries that will help us to tackle the rot in the nation and also offer meaningful development.
‘One thing we must urge the president to do is to cut down on the cost of governance. The cost of governance in Nigeria is way too high, and Mr President must live by example.
‘Public office is the highest level of charity, and our leaders must start seeing leadership as their own sacrifice to their people.
‘Since I became national chairman of APGA, nothing has changed about my life. I still live the same way, drive myself the same way I always did, and go to everywhere, without a retinue of security people following me.
‘That is what public office holders should strive to do, and that can help to cut cost of governance in Nigeria,’ the APGA boss said.
On what he was doing to move APGA forward, Ezeokenwa said his leadership wanted to reposition the party, make it youth friendly, and also woo back all those who left the party in the past, including Mr Peter Obi, while also strengthening its ideology.
‘Our party has been minting good leaders. In APGA, our contract is with the people. Most of the credit Obi (Labour Party Presidential Candidate, Peter Obi) garnered during the last election was because of his performance in Anambra as an APGA governor.
‘He did not achieve those feats as LP governor. So the credit people were giving to him was one which he got from APGA. In due cause, we will meet Obi to come back to APGA because it is his home. It is the home he helped to build. APGA is the vehicle that took him to limelight. There is no doubt about the ability and capability of Obi. He attended the APGA Institute of Good Governance, which I’m a student today.
‘We are also working on the ideology of the party. It is wrong for a political party not to be ideology based, but just a mere vehicle to take people to power. We have cases where people were in one party at night and another at day.
‘This is what we want to stop in APGA. Political parties have clear cut ideologies and we are working to restore our ideology. You must believe in what the ideology of APGA is, to be able to belong.
‘We also want to bring young people into politics so that they can use politics to actualize their goals in life. If you are a young person, and you have the interest of making Nigeria work, you can come on board and let’s achieve that together.
‘Any progressive minded person that is interested in making Nigeria work can come join us. We are launching APGA as a party of young people who are interested in making Nigeria work.
‘We want to build a party that will leverage the intelligence, creativity and resilience of young people. We will no longer tolerate sabotage and arbitrary movement from one party to another,’ Ezeokenwa stated.