Chief Chekwas Okorie, founder of the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA), is the National Chairman of the United Progressive Party (UPP). In this chat with KALU OKWARA, he asserts his readiness to pay the supreme sacrifice for the liberation of his people, saying he is anxious of completing the assignment left behind by the legendary Zik of Africa, Dr Alex Ekwueme and Dim Odimegwu Ojukwu.
If your political opponents accuse you of having the proclivity of forming political parties, how will you respond to them, bearing in mind that it was only the late Mallam Aminu Kano and Chief Obafemi Awolowo who were able to have formed two political parties in their life time?
It is an appellation they have already given to me by some people who do not really know the reason for that. But I am glad you have mentioned it and by the grace of God, I am in that exclusive class and by the grace of God again, the only living politician today, to have formed two political parties after the political icons, Aminu Kano and Obafemi Awolowo.
The parties I founded were formed based on circumstances that confronted us at each given period. You should know that party formation is not the easiest way for personal comfort. Those who benefit from the sweat and blood of the founders are not necessarily the ones who exerted their energy in the party formation.
Having said that, I want to let you know that APGA was not a product of a love letter written to the INEC to register. It was a product of three attempts to form a political party by me, which spanned seven years from 1995 to 2002. In those seven years, two other attempts had failed to register Peoples Democratic Congress (PDC) and another attempt it in 1998. That was before the APGA attempt, which yielded no result. There were things that motivated me to do all those things. By 1995, there was no longer a rallying point for for Ndigbo in the stature of Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe who then had become very old.
Do not forget that he died in 1996. So, by 1995, it was quite obvious that he was no longer strong to serve as a rallying point for our people politically. But during his heyday, you should recall, he moved into NCNC and became the standard flag bearer of the party and became the rallying point of Ndigbo in the national scheme of things.
In the Second Republic, he moved to the Nigeria Peoples Party (NPN) founded by Alhaji Waziiri Ibrahim and also became a rallying point for Ndigbo and our people achieved tremendous political unity. But before then soon after the civil war in 1970, the relevance of the Igbo race in the political equation of Nigeria was re-enacted to the extent that Plateau State saw a shoulder to lean on to liberate themselves from the hegemony of the Northern oligarchy. It was that move made by Chief Solomon Lar that earned Lar the title of the title of ‘liberator’, which he still answers till today.
That was what Zik of Africa did for us. So, when he could not do that by this time I am talking about, I looked around and could not see any other rallying point, I had to think seriously about the fate of Ndigbo in the national scheme of things. Then there were two pre-eminent Igbo leaders in the persons of Dr Alex Ekwueme and Dim Odimegwu Ojukwu, although there were some others of smaller stature.  Dim Odimegwun Ojukwu had the support and followership of the masses but between him and Zik, including the Igbo intelligentsia, there was no love lost. I was there to witness all these.
I know what effort I made to see whether that relationship could be improved upon, but it just could not work out. Dr. Ekwueme on the other hand was very much at home with the Igbo elites and intelligentsia but relatively unknown by the masses. And so, could not serve as a rallying point. What we needed most at that time was a leader who could connect the people with the masses for effective political action. So, given this scenario, I thought APGA would be the political platform form for Ndigbo as a rallying point from which leaders will emerge over time and form a basis for negotiation with the other ethnic nationalities of Nigeria in a more practical manner than the hitherto sentimental approach to issues affecting Ndigbo, unlike the trite ‘No victor, no vanquished’.
In fact, the promoters of the jargon never intended for it to yield the anticipated result. But the more meaningful pragmatic engagement of Ndigbo with the rest of Nigerians was to me, the reintegration of the race to the rest of the nation. That was how the formation of a political party came to my mind. But nobody gave me a chance. Many people deride me as an unfocused person.
All the people who sort for comfort were already with the PDP and so they were wondering what I could do with APGA. But I was focused and knew where I was heading to even when I knew there were going to be challenges ahead. When the dream for APGA came it grew faster than I had expected. One of the things that I achieved was to re-establish our peoples political identity. And of course, part of the history is that I became the first Igbo man to have founded a national political party in Nigeria in the entire history of the Igbo race.
I say this without being immodest but for the information of those who say I am trying to destroy my place in history. There is no way I could have I could have wanted to destroy APGA; No way, even with any amount of money in the world because it is my singular place in history. It is damn wicked for anybody to insinuate it. With all the respect I had for Ikemba of Nnewi, for anybody to say that APGA is Chief Ojukwu’s legacy is an insult on my person. It is not his legacy. It is mine. You cannot take my title and give to another person for whatever sentiment you have. History should not be distorted.
Why will they like to rewrite history and deny me my own efforts? Ikemba joined APGA after its formation and that is the truth of the matter. And so there is no way you join a body after formation and that body becomes your legacy.
Those saying APGA is Chief Ojukwu’s legacy are doing so deliberately to see whether it implanted in the people’s mind that I did not form the party.
Having established the party, the problem came. I knew there would be challenges ahead. Those who fought me, especially, Peter Obi, who had at his disposal the resources of the state government, which he made available to Victor Umeh without scruples, felt he was doing the right thing for his kinsman. They cornered the Ikemba of Nnewi, promising heaven on earth they knew were incapable of fulfilling.
And considering his age and other factors, he was invulnerable and so failed for that bait. That was how the vision for which APGA was formed was gradually destroyed. After eight years, I was still burning with the desire to offer something for the entrenchment of democracy in Nigeria since what I have planted was not allowed to blossom. I had to return to the drawing board.


http://www.mydailynewswatchng.com/2013/08/04/apga-is-my-legacy-not-ojukwus-chekwas-okorie/

Chekwas has left APGA and formed another party. If he wants to return all he needs do is go back. Simple.
APGA has grown bigger than any individual. Moreover the party's fortune is dictated by IGBO support so far, not Chekwas' or Ojukwu's, but NDIGBO.

So all these side talks should stop because they are distracting Ndigbo from focusing on the task at hand, which is to carve a political niche for Igboland and the East using APGA.

When I talk this way the OP calls be a tribalist, but he is a mischievous self deceiver.

Onlytruth: Chekwas has left APGA and formed another party. If he wants to return all he needs do is go back. Simple.
APGA has grown bigger than any individual. Moreover the party's fortune is dictated by IGBO support so far, not Chekwas' or Ojukwu's, but NDIGBO.

So all these side talks should stop because they are distracting Ndigbo from focusing on the task at hand, which is to carve a political niche for Igboland and the East using APGA.

When I talk this way the OP calls be a tribalist, but he is a mischievous self deceiver.

In all honesty APGA has failed as a political platform for Igbos just like Orji's PPA. We should look inwards and ask the reason for the failure. I think that should help in deciding our next moves to form an all-Igbo block that can negotiate our collective interest. Peter Obi killed APGA mainly because of greed and jealousy.

Abagworo:

In all honesty APGA has failed as a political platform for Igbos just like Orji's PPA. We should look inwards and ask the reason for the failure. I think that should help in deciding our next moves to form an all-Igbo block that can negotiate our collective interest. Peter Obi killed APGA mainly because of greed and jealousy.

Peter Obi is leaving active politics next year -he says so himself. If I were him I would probably do the same; the man is a billionaire business man and should be BUSY after leaving office. So that leaves Victor Umeh and maybe the Soludos (if he wins Anambra guber polls).
A soiudo victory will revive APGA overnight in the whole East. I would only believe that APGA is dead if APGA loses in Anabra guber polls.

Onlytruth:

Peter Obi is leaving active politics next year -he says so himself. If I were him I would probably do the same; the man is a billionaire business man and should be BUSY after leaving office. So that leaves Victor Umeh and maybe the Soludos (if he wins Anambra guber polls).
A soiudo victory will revive APGA overnight in the whole East. I would only believe that APGA is dead if APGA loses in Anabra guber polls.

Even if Soludo wins Anambra under this PDP/APGA arrangement, it cannot unite Igbos anymore because it is now under the Northerners who own PDP. What we should find out is our stake in the PDP scheme of affairs which today is nothing but sacrificial lamb without benefit.