Following Wednesday’s judgment by a Federal High Court in Abuja which recognized him as the authentic national chairman of the All Progressives Grand Alliance, Chief Maxi Okwu has extended an olive branch to his main rival, Victor Umeh.
It would be recalled that Justice Abdul Kafarati of the Federal High Court Abuja on Wednesday delivered judgement on Suit No: FHC / ABJ/CS/563/2013 between Mr. Okwu and four others. The defendants were Mr. Umeh, his former deputy, Sani Shinkafi, and the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC. Judge Kafarati ruled that Mr. Okwu and not Mr. Umeh ought to be the authentic chairman of APGA; a ruling Mr. Umeh has since appealed.
Mr. Okwu in a statement Friday said the judgment was another opportunity for the party to re-discover its soul and look to the future with optimism.
“We give all glory and thanks to God Almighty for this opportunity. We do not claim victory and no one has been vanquished”, he said.
Mr. Okwu also called on members of the party to henceforth desist from unnecessary litigation, adding that no party could make headway when it is bogged down by incessant, protracted, intra-party dissension and litigation.
“With this re-confirmation of our leadership, we shall reactivate with greater vigour our re-engineering and re-branding of APGA by completing in the first instance, the three Rs: rapprochement, reconciliation and re-integration of aggrieved members of our great party”, he said.
He also pledged that APGA would lead the third political force for the 2015 general election.
“Once again, as I have always done in each opportunity to extend an olive branch and a right hand of comradeship to our erstwhile National Chairman, Chief Victor Umeh. We are prepared to meet with him without pre-condition at Enugu where APGA was first launched at his convenience”, Mr. Okwu said.
