APGA war: Obi's faction suspends Umeh, Shinkafi ...I'm still in charge, Umeh insist

A faction of the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) led by the Anambra State governor, Mr. Peter Obi, has sacked the embattled national chairman of the party, Chief Victor Umeh and his secretary, Alhaji Sanni Shikafi, and replaced the due with Alhaji Sadiq Massala, Deputy National Chairman (North), as acting national chairman and Dr. Ifedi Okwenna, a former commissioner in the Obi administration as national secretary.

The change in leadership of the crisis stricken APGA was effected yesterday at the party's secretariat in Abuja.

The change in the leadership of the party was announced at a press conference held at the party national secretariat in Abuja, with a communique signed Barrister Morgan Anyalechi, who also signed as National Vice-Chairman (South). The faction accused both Umeh and Shinkafi of several constitutional breaches in the running of the affairs of APGA.

The faction said that the decision to suspend Umeh and Shinkafi was taken at the end of a meeting of the party’s NWC which “following a thorough analysis and in consideration of the relevant articles of the constitution of our great party, we unanimously suspended them indefinitely for actions which run counter to the spirit and letters of the constitution of our great party”.

According to the faction, a seven-man disciplinary committee as required in Article 21 (3) of the party’s constitution, has been set up to look into all the allegations made against the “suspended national officers” and make appropriate recommendations within the next two weeks.

They also alleged that Umeh was running the party like a family affair and had not allowed proper accounting of the party’s funds, among other allegations.

Reacting to the development, Umeh, who arrived at the party secretariat after his suspension had been concluded, described the faction as disgruntled members of the party, who according to him, constituted only five out of 29 National Working Committee (NWC) members of the party and so, lacked the legal capacity to suspend him and Shinkafi.

Umeh, who arrived the national secretariat of the party moments after they left the place, also said that at no time did the NWC met to take any decision as he remains the only authorised person who would convene such a meeting.

“The people who broke into our party secretariat were only five out of 29 members of the NWC. You and I know that in a democracy, for you to do anything successfully, you must have the required number.

“They were sponsored to disrupt the party. These five people have been under watch and they have not succeeded in wooing the other NWC members. Ordinarily, their actions would not require any response, but, we want to inform the party members who might be deceived by their actions that all what they did were illegal, null, void and have no effect whatsoever. As you can see, I am still in my office,” Umeh stressed.

On the allegations of financial recklessness, he denied such allegations stressing that the same group had earlier petitioned the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) which probed the party accounts last year and found everything to be in order.

Moreover, he brought out an audited account prepared by one Alatta Nzewi Oyeka and Co, firm of chartered accountants which had audited the accounts of the party for 2011 and gave a favourable verdict which he read to the hearing of newsmen.

“APGA has a constitution and the procedure must be followed. The people who did what they did were sponsored, but, we have stood firm and we will protect the constitution of our party. What they purport to have done, they lacked the capacity, not having been backed by the constitution and they did not form the needed quorum to do so,” he stressed.

When the Nigerian Compass contacted Chief Sylvester Nwobu-Alo on phone, he said that the decision to suspend Umeh and Shinkafi was the decision of the party.

He also stressed that the party will take a final decision on the due when it receives the report of the seven-man disciplinary committee set up to investigate the allegations against them.

"It is the decision of the party to suspend them. APGA as a party is bigger than Umeh and Shinkafi, so that has taken a decision of the constant bridge of its constitution. For now, Umeh and shinkafi are no longer the chairman and secretary of APGA. They are suspended as chairman and secretary, the report of the disciplinary committee will tell is they will be suspended from the party." he said.

Asked if the governors of the party are aware of the development, he said: "the governors are the leaders and members of the NWC of the party, therefore, there is no way the party will such decision without their consent". 

Source: MIRROR