By Raymond Ozoji, Awka
The National Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) Mazi Ejimofor Opara has issued a counter order against the one made by the APGA Chairman in Anambra State that a certain rally being facilitated by the embattled Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Awka Capital Territory Development Authority (ACTDA) Mr. Ossy Onuko and some others will not hold as planned.
The APGA chieftain, who spoke with our correspondent exclusively, stated in very strong terms that the state chairman of the party in Anambra, Chief Barr. Ifeatu Obi-Okoye, has no right whatsoever to cancel any gathering in support of Governor Charles Chukwuma Soludo’s administration.
Opara, who gave further clarifications on the said rally, maintained that it was not expressly stated in the letter he has that the rally which has been scheduled to hold in Awka on Saturday 28th October, 2023 is an APGA rally.
He argued that the state chairman only has right to act if the said rally has an APGA connotations. Opara said it is not within the powers of the APGA state chairman to frustrate gatherings intended to promote Soludo’s government.
Opara said, “It is not an APGA rally. It is a support group for Soludo. The state chairman has no right whatsoever to even talk about it because he doesn’t know who they are. It is beyond him.
“The chairman has no right to say he is cancelling a rally that is being organised by some people. Does he know who they are? Did he see APGA there? He should provide the documents that says it is an APGA rally.
“I could furnish him with the letter of invitation and let him show me where it is written that it is an APGA rally. By virtue of his oath of office and by virtue of the Constitution of APGA, the state chairman is confined to activities that concerns the party only.
“The rally is not an APGA rally and it doesn’t concern the party in any way. “
Meanwhile, APGA state chairman in Anambra, Chief Barr. Ifeatu Obi-Okoye, had on 24th October, 2023 issued an urgent public notice announcing the cancellation and postponement of the purported rally being facilitated by Ossy Onuko, Prince Obinna Ndigwe and some others on the grounds that critical stakeholders of the party were not consulted or taken into confidence before the so-called mega rally was conceived.
The urgent public notice signed by Obi-Okoye reads, “The state chairman of APGA, Chief sir Ifeatu Obi-Okoye, has cancelled and postponed the purported ‘Anambra-Central Zonal Rally’ being organised and facilitated by one Ossy Onuko as convener and one Prince Obinna Ndigwe, scheduled to hold on Saturday 28th October 2023, under the acronym ‘Solution Team’ as neither the zonal leaders, critical stakeholders not even the party leadership in Anambra-Central Senatorial Zone were ever consulted nor taken into confidence before such a so-called mega rally was conceived or put into execution.”