Chief Ziggy Azike, an activist lawyer cum politician was one of the founders of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP in Imo State at the onset of the Fourth Republic. Azike and his team of new politicians at that time remarkably vanquished experienced politicians like Arthur Nzeribe, Sam Mbakwe, Emmanuel Inwanyanwu and such like in the then All Peoples Party, APP in the first set of elections.

However, when the experienced politicians crossed over into the PDP, Azike subsequently found his bearing and is presently a chieftain of the All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA and is chairman of the Re-building and Crisis Review Committee constituted by the party's chairman de jure, Chief Victor Umeh. In this interview in Lagos he reviews the activities of his committee and the crises in his party. Excerpts:

How far have you gone with your job?

We have reconciled those who are disposed to reconciliation, we have at least given everybody a hearing because what people actually need as a process of healing is for them to ventilate their grievances. Governor Peter Obi spent about two and a half hours while we were with him in Awka ventilating those grievances.

What are his grievances?

These are part of the things I might not be required to go public with. But I can assure you that if you stayed with a man for more than four and a half hours, you must know that the meeting must have been a very deep meeting. In fact we had to ask to go, because we had to leave Awka as late as 9:30pm, to come back to Owerri.

What are the major problems of the party?

Well, we will say that some of the grievances are based on ego, some of the grievances are based on misunderstanding and non-appreciation of the constitutional position of things in APGA. A lot of the things that have happened is because some people have not read the APGA constitution, and they have not appreciated the position of the APGA constitution on issues.

If they had this understanding, I can assure you that we won't be having the crisis we have today. And again you will hear people say that Chief Victor Umeh has been chairman of the party some people say ten years, some people say eight years, some more than eight years. As a lawyer I know you start acting as chairman when you have been recognised by certain bodies. You and I know that under Prof. Morris Iwu, Victor Umeh was never recognised as chairman. Victor Umeh derived his recognition as the Supreme Court decided on who was the chairman.

What is the problem that Governors Peter Obi and Rochas Okorocha don't seem to be working together for the party?

To the best of my knowledge, there is no problem between Governor Peter Obi and Governor Rochas Okorocha because I have been with them at public functions and I know that they greet themselves and they are friends but you know like I keep telling people, the problem with APGA is the matter of tendencies. Peter Obi has a tendency to subjugate APGA to PDP, Rochas Okorocha has a tendency to go towards APC. Then we are what I call the purists; who have chosen that the tendency we believe in is APGA, APGA, APGA. So they are just drawn to different tendencies.

Why do you think Governor Obi is walking away from the party?

I think in the fullness of time he will retrace his steps because there is no reason for the battle he is waging against his brother, Victor Umeh. In our discussions with him, he could not give us one strong reason why he is fighting Victor Umeh.

It is alleged that it was because Umeh recognized Okorocha before him at a forum?

Well I was not at the forum, so I cannot confirm and as a lawyer of my standing I can not deal on hearsay. I have heard it said and that's what I'm telling you that it bothers on ego. If such a thing was done, it must have been done to encourage Rochas. I have always given Governor Peter Obi his due encomium in the party, he is the father figure in the party today; it is the father that will be hailing the son giving them big names to encourage them. So no matter what you call any body, can you call anybody father? He (Obi) needs to have a change of heart and a deeper appreciation of his role as a father. He needs to come to terms with that. He can't be over sensitive about little abuses. All the times we spent with him, all that he was talking about was that somebody abused him somewhere, and somebody said a negative thing about him some where.

It has been said that you are not a member of this party, and that you are as such not in position to reconcile warring APGA members?

I am a member of the party and my ward chairman can confirm that I am a member. The only person who can talk about my membership is my ward chairman. So it is ludicrous and ridiculous but in any case, if I was not a member of the party, I don't think Governor Peter Obi would have received us.

If I was not a member of the party I don't think that all the senator serving for my state would have agreed, I don't think Governor Rochas Okorocha who is a governor in my state would have received me; because he is the only one who can say, 'I don't think you are a member of our party'. So when people talk about not being a member of the party, I can only laugh, or being a rejoiner. About my private discussion with Peter Obi, you see, Governor Peter Obi must realize that to an extent, he is responsible for what ever happens to APGA.

One way or the other, we still will hold him accountable. And if we still will hold him accountable, he has to support our work towards reconciliation and rebuilding, re-energizing and regenerating APGA. People talk about 'how can a person who just joined APGA, and I say maybe God realizes I can only be part of the peace. And I told him, I said look, apostle St. Paul who wrote almost three quarters of the New Testament was a new convert. What lead to his success was his enthusiasm and commitment to the gospel. And I can tell you that today, I have asked God to use me as a vessel towards reconciling and rebuilding APGA, and He is using us.

You have a parallel reconciliation team lead by chief Reagan Ufomba, do you think he is competent enough?

As a lawyer, I am so careful about competence. First, I will not deal with a person whose source of authority is not a competent authority, I'm very careful about that. So the only recognized authority of our party that can constitute anybody who can enjoy legitimacy is the national chairman under Victor Umeh. That is why Chief Victor Umeh who is the national chairman will agree to meet anybody who is a member of APGA. And Chief Victor Umeh who is so large hearted met them because he cannot throw away his children once you say they are from APGA.

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Empty trash..next..

Op, try harder scumbag.

Truth is bitter. More like jealousy over Rochas popularity made your master decide to sell APGA.

Decides to sell APGA? How can Obi be jealous of a pauper, a crook and a talkative who has mortgaged the future of poor imo state thru dubious loans from all the banks with nothing on the ground to show. Does the clown okorosha knows how APGA was formed and ran before your potbellied master was pitied and given a ticket?

Am a living witness okorosha was virtually living in Awka when he was begging Obi to give him ticket. Okorosha should be grateful to Obi because if not for Obi and influence of Eze Igbo Ikemba your clueless gov will not be talking today.

Thank God Imo people are wiser now, they will give him the ohakim treatment. You guys should Pray to vote in a decent person next time devoid of fraudulent activities.