Governor of Anambra State, Chief Willie Obiano, has hailed the recent Supreme Court judgement that upheld the Executive Committee of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) headed by the immediate past National Chairman of the party, Chief Victor Umeh.

In a judgment delivered by Justice Sylvester Ngwuta, the apex court had dismissed the appeal filed by the Maxi Okwu-led faction which had sought to be declared as the authentic Executive Committee of the party and affirmed the judgment of the Court of Appeal in Abuja, which had on June 18, 2015 declared Umeh as the authentic National Chairman of the party.

Hailing the judgement in a rally held yesterday at the Governor’s Lodge, Amawbia to celebrate the victory, Governor Obiano, who is also the Chairman of the Board of Trustees and National Leader of the party, declared the judgement as a “no victor, no vanquished.” He called for immediate reconciliation and healing among all splinter groups that exist within the party.

Addressing party faithful, Governor Obiano noted: “It is important that we seize this great moment in history and run with the passion it has ignited in our hearts. The first thing we should do with this passion is reconciliation. We must always remember that the Maxi Okwu faction that took us to court is actually our brothers. We must strive to reabsorb them to the mainstream of the party.”

Describing the event as APGA’s own Pentecost Day, Obiano told party members: “If you look among you, you will see tongues of flame on your heads. These tongues of flame are the flames of ‘Be your brother and your sister’s keeper’.”

He assured aggrieved members of the party that their loyalty was invaluable to the party and that in due course their loyalty would be adequately recognised and rewarded.

Governor Obiano who declared that he was not addressing the gathering as the governor of Anambra State but as the Chairman of the Board of Trustees and National Leader of the party further emphasised that the party was supreme at all times and in all situations.

He therefore urged party members to set aside their differences and close ranks for the impending battle over the highly contested senatorial seat of Anambra Central constituency.

Said he: “The next war we must wage is the war for Victor Umeh’s victory in the coming senatorial election in Anambra Central. Umeh has appealed for forgiveness from party members who are nursing one form of grudge or another against him. So, we must unite, close ranks and go for victory with him.”

Earlier in his opening remarks, the National Chairman of the party, Chief Victor Oye had offered a detailed explanation of the Supreme Court judgement and commended the steadfastness of party members whose support and prayers never wavered all through the period of the legal process.

Rallying support for Chief Umeh in the coming senatorial election in Anambra Central, Chief Oye appealed to party faithful to close ranks and give a massive push to the efforts of Chief Victor Umeh to clinch the senatorial seat. “This is the home of APGA. Anybody struggling with us here is wasting his time because we already have a senator in Chief Victor Umeh,” he declared.

Offering a remarkable insight in the highly anticipated election, Chief Oye said: “Any day they are ready for election, it will be a walkover because in 2003 the Supreme Court in the case between INEC and Labour Party, ruled that in the case of nullification of election on grounds of qualification only those candidates that participated in the nullified election, excluding the candidate that was disqualified can participate in the re-run. And no political party shall hold a primary with the intention of appointing or nominating a new candidate for that election because the time for that exercise has elapsed.”

Describing APGA as the party to beat in 2019, Chief Oye observed that the party recently won seven councillorship positions in Niger State, sweeping the Ward of the current governor of Niger State.

“They have done everything humanly possible to frustrate us but I want to tell the people of this great state and this great country that APGA is the party to beat in 2019. I have repeatedly said it without any fear of equivocation that while PDP is haemorrhaging and APC is asphyxiating, APGA is the only political party with a clean bill of health in Nigeria today.”

Also speaking, the wife of the governor of Anambra State, Chief (Mrs) Ebelechukwu Obiano, called for support and prayers for the Obiano administration as leadership is usually ordained by God.

According to her, Governor Obiano is fully resolved to build a strong and prosperous state in which every onye Anambra would be proud

•Photo shows Governor Obiano displaying the Supreme Court judgement . . . yesterday at the victory rally in Awka.

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