The National Working Committee of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) has proclaimed its preparedness to suspend Anambra State Governor Chukwuma Soludo and anyone implicated in anti-party activities.
Addressing the media at the Federal High Court in Abuja on Wednesday, the party’s National Chairman, Chief Edozie Njoku, accused Soludo of resisting every move by the Supreme Court-recognised NWC to restore harmony within the party while continuing his anti-party behaviour.
Njoku further stated that on Thursday, September 26, 2024, the NWC will publicise the names of party members, including Soludo, who will be suspended for participating in anti-party activities.
On the state’s off-cycle governorship election, he highlighted that the party has not endorsed a single candidate for the campaign and expressed doubts about Soludo’s chances of gaining the party’s nomination through primaries.
He stated that anyone wishing to become governor of the state must participate in the primary process, which he promised would be fair and transparent.
He explained, “Just recently, about a week or two ago, we left the Court of Appeal, where an application was made to prevent my recognition by INEC, despite the Supreme Court’s clear ruling that my removal as National Chairman of APGA was unjustifiable.
“If you remember, just about a week ago or two weeks ago, we just left the Court of Appeal where a stay was applied at the Court of Appeal to stay me being recognised by INEC despite the fact that the Supreme Court said in their own words that the removal of Chief Edozie Njoku as national chairman of APGA is not justiceable.
“They went to Awka and filed the suit; suddenly the judge in Awka was very smart, and he pulled out of it. They came to the Federal High Court again.
“They filed another one behind our back; they were applying for an interim injunction behind the back of the national chairman of the party, behind the back of APGA, and behind the back of the orders of the Court of Appeal, which asked that they should enforce the judgement as pay or affirm the enforcement of the judgement, as per the Buhari High Court.
“They went forward behind the back of APGA, and INEC were very smart. INEC has written that everything they said is not true. The local government elections are going to take place in Anambra on the 28th, but what we should understand about this is that Charles Soludo, the governor, I don’t know; he should know that it’s a political system; he’s not an emperor.”
He added, “He has gone forward to get the House of Assembly to adopt, to make a law whereby the party cannot field their candidates. They went to the field and conducted something behind the back of the party, where they assembled certain people who were conducting anti-party activities.
“If you notice, the whole NWC are here, and a group of people are being suspended from the party. As you know, I’ve been preaching peace, peace, peace, peace, because it’s not in the interest of the party for us to start suspending elected officers, to start suspending a governor, to start suspending House of Assembly members, to start suspending the senator from Abia.
“They are pushing us far to the limit, and they are believing that the governor of Anambra State is bigger than the party. No one is bigger than the party, and so maybe they are playing on that I want peace, that I will not change, even the beauty. You will remember what the chairman of the bot said—that we, the NWC, must take action so that we don’t look like toothless Bulldogs.
“This is a political party, and APGA is here to stay. We have 80% agreed on those people who are going to be suspended from the party. One of those people is the governor. And I’m saying, are we going to just suspend the only governor we have?
“But if the only governor we have is pretending or playing to the gallery, making these people who are honest people go in and commit anti-party activities. We must nip this on the board. I don’t know what Soludo is playing at. I don’t know what his problem is, but he must conform himself under the party.”
