Okorie Tells Buhari
By Marcus Ikechukwu
Frontline politician and founder of the All Progressive Grand Alliance APGA,Chekwas Okorie has told President Muhammadu Buhari to use his prerogative as President to free the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra IPOB, Nnamdi Kanu, as the act would have a direct impact in ending insecurity bedeviling the South East region.
He made the appeal while speaking on a book he authored, titled “APGA and the Igbo Question”.
“I wish to seize this opportunity to appeal to President Muhammadu Buhari, the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to use his special presidential dispensation and prerogatives as enshrined in the constitution of Nigeria to grant Mazi Nnamdi Kanu and other prisoners of conscience release from detention.
“This appeal is made with every sense of patriotism and responsibility. I believe strongly that the insecurity in certain sections of Nigeria especially the South-East and South-South will be reduced by a great extent,”he stated during the launch of the book.
In the book, Chekwas also chronicled the events that gave birth to APGA, the dearth of an Igbo figure who should serve as a rallying point for easterners, including the need for the South Eastern stakeholders not to alienate themselves or play the second fiddle in the scheme of politics regarding the country, including using their wide spread and geopolitical distribution to determine the affairs of Nigeria, especially as the 2023 polls draws closer.
He said using the window of the continuous voters registration exercise by the Independent National Electoral Commission INEC would be the greatest favour they would be doing for themselves.
Reeling out his thoughts, he said the book, APGA and the Igbo Question is a product of my 46 years involvement in Igbo rights crusade, human rights and political activism from 1976 when he was an undergraduate at the University of Nigeria, Enugu Campus.
According to the APGA proponent, the series of events leading to the formation of APGA and the vexed issue of Igbo question in Nigeria are intertwined. It has always been my long held view that the Igbo question especially after the end of the Biafra – Nigeria war in 1970 which is multifaceted is essentially political and can only be resolved through political means.
Insisting that only through constructive political engagement with other political blocs in Nigeria; effective lobbying in an environment of level playing ground, equity, justice and fairness can the region make headways.
Speaking to participants during the launch, “By the turn of the year 1996, I became deeply concerned that Ndigbo lacked a rallying political figure like Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe who out of sheer political savvy and sagacity mobilized our people and the people of the former Eastern Region through the political platform of the National Council of Nigerian Citizens (NCNC) to form a coalition government with the Northern Peoples Congress (NPC) in the First Republic.
“It was the same Dr. Nnamdi Azikwe that bounced back from his voluntary retirement from partisan politics to lead the Nigerian Peoples Party (NPP) as Presidential Candidate to enter into an accord with the National Party of Nigeria (NPN) to form the central government in the Second Republic.
“These landmark alliances contributed immensely to the formation and stabilization of the Federal Governments of the First and Second Republics of Nigeria. I became convinced that in the absence of a person of such political stature as Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe what Ndigbo needed most was a registered national political party based on Igbo initiative to serve as a rallying platform to resume the engagement of Igbo People and likeminded ethnic nationalities of Nigeria with the rest of the country.
“The formation of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) in 2002 was a culmination of attempts to register such political body with the Electoral Commission in 1996, 1998 and finally 2002. This year 2022 marks 20 years of the registration of APGA with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). So much has happened in Nigeria in our nascent democracy since 1999.
“Nigeria has experienced unprecedented political party mortality. In 2020 alone, 74 political parties were deregistered by INEC in one fell swoop. Of the six political parties that existed by the month of June 2002 namely, the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Alliance for Democracy (AD), All Peoples Party (APP), National Democratic Party (NDP), Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and United Nigerian Peoples Party (UNPP) and 24 other political parties registered by INEC later in the year 2002 that participated in the disputed 2003 general election, only APGA and PDP have survived till this day in their original names of registration.
“This is of special significance to Ndigbo in particular and several other ethnic nationalities in Nigeria in general as Nigeria prepares for the 2023 general election. It is by divine providence that APGA has remained subsisting and operational for a time like this.
“This book, APGA and the Igbo Question is not only historical in its content but points the way forward for Ndigbo in Nigeria.
“In 46 years, I have had the privilege of making round trips to many Nigerian cities and urban communities several times over. I am conversant with Igbo settlements and domiciliation in these places. It is unarguable that in majority of the states of Nigeria Ndigbo constitute the second largest population.
“In a democracy such as the type we practice in Nigeria, population and spread are critical factors in political relevance. The beginning of wisdom is for Ndigbo to wake up from their political slumber, utilize their God given numerical strength and National spread for political engagements and relevance in Nigeria.
“I agree that it hurts and assaults the sensibilities of the Igbo to be alienated from the commanding heights of Nigeria’s bureaucracy and political power. But, throwing up our hands in surrender and not participate in the democratic process is the worst form of political self-marginalization which we have inflicted on ourselves.
“I therefore, seize the opportunity of the launch of the book, APGA and the Igbo Question, to urge my people who are of voting age to take full advantage of the ongoing continuous voter registration by INEC to obtain their voters cards like other bona fide Nigerian citizens. The PVC is a veritable weapon for political self-determination within the context of one united Nigeria without firing a shot.
Ndigbo have what it takes to become a very critical factor in the Nigerian power equation going forward. The time to take control of our political destiny in Nigeria is now.”