The Abia State chapter of the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA), has elected Super High Chief Emmanuel Egwu (Esere Ebekuo Dike) her new state chairman.
Egwu, emerged by a unanimous vote of the party members who adopted him as their consensus candidate to take over from Reverend Augustine Ehiemere as his tenure has elapsed in a state congress held in Umuahia the State capital on Tuesday, May 23, 2023.
Speaking shortly after the congress, Egwu, described his election as a new dawn for APGA, adding that his administration will project leadership of inclusion, innovation, open door policy, and transparency on party affairs.
Egwu, regretted that the immediate past leadership of the party did not manage the party affairs diligently, pointing out that the challenges facing the party including monetary, affected the chances of APGA winning in the recently concluded 2023 general election.
He harped on the need to resuscitate “a dying APGA in Abia State” and called on all party faithfuls to come and support his administration adding that APGA belongs to each and every one of them and that his leadership will not tolerate impunity nor undermine the interest of the people.
“I am not power drunk; I am not desperate about issues of life. What am much concerned about is getting things done rightly; you don’t brag on impunity; we are fighting a common enemy which is doing things with gross impunity and undermining the interest of opinion moulders with reckless abandonment that peoples say do not count.
‘Let all of us come onboard; all hands must be on deck, let us take this party to greater height.
“The party is dying, its at the peak of dying, we must have to resuscitate the party. The people we vested the trust and confidence in their hands, they disappointed themselves and not us. Now that we have come together as owners of the party, I think it is now lying on us to say this party will never die”. How will the party not die? shifting from the old order….. “I will not let you down”.
“Everybody has an input to make in the party; I will be as transparent as possible; I will not allow the cankerworms to hijack the party again; the people must have their say in the party” Egwu stated.
Asked if he will probe the previous administration, he said; “if there is need for that, we will do it but when we get to that bridge, we will cross it”.
Speaking on the emergence of Egwu as the new APGA state chairman, Engineer Ogbonna Abarikwu, APGA candidate for Umuahia/ Ikwuano federal constituency in the recently concluded 2023 election, described Egwu as an articulated and visionary man, adding that APGA for the first time, has found a leader who is not selfish.
“We saw democracy play out. He (Egwu) is a very young man, articulate and respectful; a visionary man and transparent; he has a second address.
“We have found yourself for the first time, a chairman who is not necessarily interested in enriching his pocket but using all the resources that God has given him to grow APGA; we are all excited.
While assessing the performance of the immediate past administration, Abarikwu said APGA have been kept far from progress because of the performance of the Reverend Augustine Ehiemere led administration.
“A party that was supposed to take over the leadership of this state couldn’t do it. We failed in all areas of running a general election, that speaks to the individuals that were piloting the affairs of APGA in Abia state. There are some issues associated with the vision in the party, they were not able to address these effectively; there were issues of money that has continued to plaque members of the party.
“This place (APGA State secretariat) has been ravished as though someone was desperate to cart away the things that belongs to the party, it is part of the things that has kept the party back” he added.