The recent judicial victory scored by the Chief Victor Umeh faction of the All Progressive Grand Alliance [APGA] party at the federal appeals court in Abuja brought about a renewed vigor for the embattled political party which saw the eight [8] year reign of its governor in Anambra in the person Chief Peter Obi – and a short-lived reign of an APGA governor in Imo State before the unprecedented cross carpeting of Chief Rochas Okorocha from the APGA to the All Progressive Congress [APC].
Following the victory at the appeal courts, the national secretary of the APGA, Dr. Abdul Shinkafi spoke to 247ureports.com regarding the victory and its implications to the grander scale of the political terrain in Nigeria. He particularly pointed on the reality that APGA had a rich manifesto. He made the point while noting that the APGA has positioned itself to match the APC and the Peoples Democratic Party [PDP] at many parts of the country in a manner that will bring about many electoral upsets at the polls in 2015. He pointed attention to the upcoming 2015 gubernatorial polls scheduled for 2015 as a likely spotlight for the extent which the APGA has reached into the many parts of Nigeria, particularly in the northern regions.
While extending his party’s gratitude to the Nigerian judiciary, he added that the judiciary had long proved to be the last resort for the common citizen of the country. “The Judge did his job. This is great for our democracy” stated the national secretary who went on to condemn the actions of Justice Abdul Kafarati. He called the actions and rulings of Judge Abdul Kafarati as highly suspicious and indicative of financially induced foulplay. Judge Kafarati was the presiding Judge that ruled the Maxi Okwu’s faction of the APGA as the authentic faction of the APGA. The ruling came earlier in the year.
The national secretary went on to comment on issues concerning the political heavy weights. The “PDP has failed and APC is the worst” stated Shinkafi who added that “Imo state is ruled by APC” and so there is bad governance in Imo State. In Zamfara State, the national secretary termed the efforts of the state government as lacking and simply inept. “He [Zamfara Governor] does not listen to people, can you imagine that teachers and nurses were on strike, and he did not know. The governor did not know that teachers and nurses in his state were on strike”. According to the national secretary, the governor, after having found out about the strikes, reacted to sack all the state employed nurses.
While condemning the state administrative apparatus in Zamfara State, the national secretary made a broad offer of an open umbrella for all citizens of the country to join the APGA party. “APGA is the choice party” he said. In his take, the PDP and APC belong to the same coin, “they are both soiled and have a failed record in Nigeria”.
“In Anambra Peter Obi governed with the APGA manifesto and he did well” and in the earlier years of the Okorocha administration “he did well while he was using the APGA manifesto”. The national secretary assured that as the 2015 electoral season rolls around that the citizenry will reward the APGA for its rich manifesto.
The national secretary is said to be considering contesting for the position of governor of Zamfara State under the platform of the APGA. “People are calling for me to join the race”.
