Convention: Maku is APGA National Secretary; Umeh leaves N40m in party’s account

Former Information Minister, Mr. Labaran Maku, on Saturday, emerged the National Secretary of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA).
Maku, who was elected through a voice vote at the National Convention of the party held in Awka, Anambra State, was the party’s candidate during the April 11 governorship election in Nasarawa State.
Dr. Victor Ikechukwu Oye, former Special Adviser (Special Duties) to former Governor Orji Uzor Kalu of Abia State, emerged the National Chairman, taking over from Chief Victor Umeh, who led the party for years.
The Convention also ratified the appointment of Anambra state Governor, Chief Willie Obiano, as Leader and Chairman of the Party’s Board of Trustees (BoT) and other members of the Board.
Framing the event of the day in a proper perspective, Obiano called on the new APGA Exco to work had to improve the party’s popularity saying, “Fellow party faithful, let me say, and boldly too, that we are in a historic moment. Our country is on the threshold of a new beginning. Fellow party men and women, with this convention, we have a golden chance to lay a great foundation for the emergence of a viable opposition that will enrich democracy in our country. So, this is a rare moment. And we must seize it, define it and turn it into a milestone in the history of our nascent democracy.
Speaking under the title “Rising to the Demands of our Times”, Obiano further observed that “after years of playing at the margins of our country’s political history, the time has come to take a bold step out of the shadows and mount the centre-stage of Nigeria’s political theatre. The recent general elections gave us a chance to test our own strength and gauge or overall appeal across the country. We came back from the polls with the realization that this great party has not lost its basic appeal; that the alternative model of governance we offer is still the clear preference of the larger spectrum of Nigerians.
“Fellow party folks, the ebb and tide of our nation’s history has swept aside the old political arrangement and opened a door for a new political order. If my reading of Nigeria’s political temperature is right, there is no better time for our party to attain its manifest destiny and fulfil its age-old promise than now. Our dear country needs the light of inspiring leadership and the rays of a wise opposition. This generation has a responsibility to provide both in equal measure.
So, as we settle down to the business of the day, let us bear in mind that Nigeria expects great things from us. Let us remember that we are gathered here today for the greater good of Nigeria. Let us remember that our country comes first.
“Under my watch, we shall always strive to lay down the right fundamentals and ensure a strict adherence to the rules. We shall pull the levers of purposeful leadership with a view to ensuring the emergence of a robust internal democracy. There will always be a fair attempt to ensure that no stakeholder is left behind and that no political wound is left to fester for too long. We shall build a strong political family where petty grievances will not be allowed to shape our overall approach to the weighty issues of the state.”
In his acceptance speech, the new chairman, Dr. Oye, who hails from Anambra State, commended Umeh’s leadership for its steadfastness and pledged that his leadership would reconcile all genuine aggrieved members of the party so as to reposition it to play the role of the most formidable opposition party in the country.
Oye said the party, in the next four years, would take over the presidency and urged members of the party to give the new leadership all the necessary support to achieve the ambition, adding that in addition to entrenching internal democracy in the party, “every member would be availed equal opportunity to realize his or her political ambition.”
Earlier in his address, Umeh expressed satisfaction that his leadership of the party in the past eight years had helped in building the party as a formidable political party to reckon with in the nation’s politics though it was achieved through resilience and personal sacrifices.
He urged those he might have offended in the course of his leadership to forgive him as it was not deliberate but part of the “breaking of the egg so as to make an omelette.”
Umeh announced that his leadership has about N40 million in the party’s bank account for the new leadership to inherit and start firmly.
The Convention attracted delegates from across the country including stalwarts like Dr. Alex Oti, Ambassador Bianca Ojukwu, Princess Chinwe Nwaebili, Prof. Joe Asike, Hon Oseloka Obaze, Hon Dubem Obaze and a host of others.