FEATURE ARTICLE

Uzochukwu OkaforMonday, November 24, 2014
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Namibia

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MUCH ADO ABOUT PETER OBI'S LEAVING OF APGA

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PGA has of recent witnessed some defections which should worry any serious member of APGA. One would have thought that APGA would have done a serious introspection to decipher what could be wrong. However, this appears not to be the case. Instead, the departure of these members seems to be celebrated by some. It is like saying their departure is good riddance to bad rubbish. This is in contrast to the PDP, a much larger and resilient party. The PDP correctly sensed that they cannot be stronger with depletion in his ranks. They, therefore, did the sensible thing of looking into the grievances of their members and have succeeded in large measure to welcome back these aggrieved members. But in APGA, it seems some people feel the departure of these members will work to their selfish ends and therefore encouraging the celebration of the depletion of APGA membership. It does not matter that a significant number of these departures represent the face of the party. Prominent among these is the immediate past Governor of Anambra State, His Excellency, Mr. Peter Obi. The reactions to his departure from APGA is the subject of this article.

There have been some inappropriate reactions to the resignation of the former Governor of Anambra State, Mr. Peter Obi from APGA and his subsequent declaration for PDP. Some have chosen to describe it as a betrayal of our late leader, Ikemba Odumegwu Ojukwu. Whatever one's feeling about his departure, it is important that we leave the discussion at a decent level without trying to denigrate his person. Madam Bianca Ojukwu has led by example in this case. While expressing her disappointment with Mr. Peter Obi's departure from APGA, she remained decent and dignified. She reaffirmed what we all know about her, that she is one that is blessed with a combination of beauty and brain. No wonder the Ikemba could not resist her.

It is also commendable that Mr. Peter Obi in his response to provocative reactions from some of his former colleagues in APGA, remained dignified and did not respond in kind to those who were spoiling for a fight.

Mr. Peter Obi, Okwute Ndiigbo discharged his duties and responsibilities as the Governor of Anambra with distinction and this is not in doubt. Yes, he may not have tarred the stomach of APGA members as one of my friends would say, but he set a high standard of governance in Anambra State and we are proud of that. What more, he entered the Government House a humble man and left a humble man. That is why in this article, I could feel very comfortable referring to him as Mr. Peter Obi unlike many of us who would want to appropriate every title under the universe to ourselves.

The impression being created that APGA being an Igbo party, and being endorsed by a respected Igbo leader like the Ikemba, one cannot serve Igbo interest except through APGA is neither here nor there Yes, under normal circumstances, APGA would represent a viable platform for espousing Igbo interest. But where this proves difficult, common sense would dictate that one seeks an alternative platform to achieve the same result. This is why God endowed us as humans with reasoning faculty. Mr. Peter Obi himself has asserted that he remains loyal to Ikemba in terms of what serves the interests of Ndiigbo. He went further to state that this does not imply that he would be loyal to a platform that some people have resolved to turn into an empty shell without an inner core of shared values.

As we assess and comment on Mr. Peter Obi's departure from APGA, we should ask ourselves a couple of pertinent questions. The first one is, would the Ikemba we know, remain in APGA if he is of the conviction that APGA has lost its values and is drifting, with him being denied every opportunity to intervene? In other words, would he remain in APGA if he was emasculated to such an extent that he could not influence or redress the situation? I do not think that Ikemba would want to be associated with such an organization. Mr. Peter Obi made his own determination that he was clearly not wanted, and took a decision based on that. It is another issue if his determination was correct. Only time would tell.

The next question we need to address is what is the similarity between NPP and NPN? Before, the triumphant return and emergence of Ikemba, Zik was undeniably the Igbo leader. Zik is responsible for the ubiquity of Ndiigbo in the Tafawa Balewa and Shehu Shagari governments. During these era, Ndiibgo had very top positions in the Federal Government. But when Ikemba returned and decided to join politics, he threw his hat into NPN in spite of the fact that NPP, like APGA today, was perceived as an Igbo party. Ikemba, in his own conviction and wisdom determined that Igbo interest is best served within NPN. Ndiigbo did not crucify Ikemba for his decision. Although many of us felt disappointed, we still respected his right to make his own determination.

In the same vein, Mr. Peter Obi has made a determination that APGA, under the current circumstances cannot sufficiently serve the Igbo interest and therefore, like Ikemba, decided to pitch his tent with PDP. According to him, he has moved to a party that his contributions towards the proper representation of Ndiigbo would have the level of impact that would make Ikemba rejoice in his grave. In another four years, we would be able to judge if his words matched his deeds. Therefore, this is not the time to begin to elevate ourselves to high moral grounds to which some of us have no claim to. The blackmail being employed by some people to denigrate him would only confirm his assertion that the party has turned into 'empty shell without an inner core of shared values.' This should not be the case. Mr. Peter Obi, in spite of these provocations has remained dignified in his response. His response to Madam Bianca Ojukwu's disappointment with his departure from APGA is a demonstration that he does not belong to the class of people who throw mud indiscriminately while forgetting that they may miss their target, but that their hands would have been soiled in the process. Mr. Peter Obi, in his response acknowledged the sincerity of Madam Bianca Ojukwu and the truth about his discussion with Ikemba. This is the least expected of a man of honour.

It is also instructive to note the claim by some of the current leadership of APGA to the effect that Mr. Peter Obi's departure will have no effect on APGA's fortune. Nothing can be further from the truth than this wishful thinking. APGA would have been dead if Peter did not fight for his mandate. We will not have an APGA Governor in Anambra today but for Mr. Peter Obi. The failure to acknowledge what Peter meant to APGA and instead appropriate whatever APGA is today to oneself is a clear manifestation of a core problem in APGA. In every situation we find ourselves, truth must remain sacrosanct.

The truth is that Mr. Peter Obi sustained APGA and that APGA would not have retained the governorship of Anambra State but for him. Mr. Peter Obi contribution is well acknowledged and appreciated by Madam Bianca when she said "it is undeniable that Peter Obi made immense contributions to APGA. I remain proud of his achievements, as governor of Anambra State. His exit will diminish us, and many of his supporters and grassroots crusaders are disappointed and demoralized." While expressing her disappointment with Peter's decision, she did not turn truth on its head. She did not make any attempt to appropriate the success of APGA to herself or to her late husband. She could still have used the opportunity to massage her ego and that of Ikemba and no one would have begrudged her. But she took the part of humility. This statement from the wife of Ikemba herself is a serious indictment of those who want us to believe that they and not Peter Obi were responsible for sustaining APGA to its current level. Again, time will tell.

The interest of Ndiigbo and the prosperity of the Federal Republic of Nigeria should remain our goal. Every Igbo son/daughter should have the right to determine the platform most suitable to pursue his/her dreams. The bottom line would be, at the end of your representation, can we say well done, good and faithful servant, you have been a true son/daughter of Ndiigbo and Nigeria.

As more people leave APGA, it is time for the leadership to learn some lessons from the Rotary four way test and honestly ask themselves and answer the following questions:

Is what is coming out of APGA the TRUTH?

Has APGA been FAIR to all concerned?

Has APGA been serious in building GOODWILL AND BETTER FRIENDSHIP?

Has APGA's decisions and actions been BENEFICIAL to all concerned?

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