Umeh Reacts To Protest Against Him

                                

Senator Victor Umeh of All Progressive Grand Alliance APGA Reacts To Protest Against Him, Gives Reasons For Not Supporting Oye For Second Term.

This is his statement

Let me start by saying that I forgive the protesters, for they do not know what they were doing.

I Senator Victor Umeh I am the oldest member of APGA in Nigeria today, from 2002 till today, I've been in this party.

I have a very huge stake in the party, in the sense that I with my colleagues in leadership nurtured this party out of the turbulent times and established it firmly in Nigeria as a very popular political party.

I am a life member of the board of trustees of this party. Whatever happens in this party, I have more than any other person's interest in the party. I am the number one person that'll see to protect this party.
When Ojukwu was dying he handed this party over to me and enjoined me never to allow this party to die.
So, at any time I see things that are not working well in the party, I will remember that directive from Ojukwu to act.
I am somebody nobody can intimidate, once I see anything that is not going well in the party. I will speak out to ensure that this party is kept very strong for our people.

It is clearly obvious to all party members that in October 2018, when we had our primaries, party people complained across the South East, that they were not treated well.

I saw some of those things but in the spirit of being an eldest in the party, I didn't want to join the public fray to bring the party to a greater ridicule.

I had intended that with time we would be to take care of our challenges and that time was when it was time to elect managers of the party.

I felt that the party needed a change in the leadership, and I try to see that that was done but I was not listen to. I had to say so because everybody in Nigeria will always come to me to ask me questions about APGA, and when people started complaining bitterly. I asked them to give me evidence of what they have to show that certain things that were wrongly done affected them and documents were sent to me.

I felt that the National Chairman did not do his work well. It was clear to me that he did what he ought not to do at all.

If you are in a position of leadership, you must ensure that you do not do things that will tarnish the image of the party.

When people produce evidence of huge sums of money collected from them for the same position and at the end nothing was done. It became a moral burden for me to intervene on their behalf.

***
The claim that these people did not sent this thing out for a long time before now, is not a justification or answer to their claims. They were doing it right from the first day. I took a position of non interference because I was told actually to stay away, that I had had my time. So I should allow the Chairman to do his work, so I didn't want to interfere.

They produce documents to show that they started from October to complain, when they couldn't get their monies as they were promised. (One of them said that he got $100,000 back and when he stopped paying, he wrote the governor and sent evidence on the 2nd of February 2019. The person who complained about the Jeep had been in court with Oye, his wife and his son-in-law since December 2018.)

So they have been pressing to get their monies back. When I saw evidence of transfers of money to Oye's personal account, bank transfers, there is nothing to hold back again.

In Anambra State here, people out of fear don't want to come out with their stories, but the stories in Anambra were even worst than that of Imo State.

I won't be alive and somebody will endanger this party and lead to its death and I will keep quiet. I will not. So I maintain my stand.

***
I wrote the mail, I didn't leak the mail to the social media as a matter of fact, but that mail I shared it with some important stakeholders in the party, just to show them why I didn't support Oye's return for Chairman.

I am not supporting him to continue as Chairman of APGA because if he continues this party will die. Oye cannot go to Imo State to run any activity for APGA in the event of what has happened.

Are you telling me that if he becomes Chairman till 2023, then in 2023 he will advertise forms again for people to come and buy when the one he did in 2018 the people are crying over the huge sums of money he took from them.

So if he has not done well, he will not be rewarded with another term.

Remember that Amb. Bianca Ojukwu was the one who was spearheading this all along. I was the one that later got the documents even before her, because those people came to me and had to release the documents to me, so when I went through it I sent it to the Governor.

Whether they do demonstration here on daily basis, I stand by my position that Oye is not worthy to continue in office as the National Chairman of APGA. It about the party, it is not about me, it is not about His Excellency. I am not quarrelling with His Excellency. I had never said anything against His Excellency anywhere that is negative till date, but I don't support his support for Oye to continue as Chairman of the party, otherwise this party will die.

Let all APGA members be remain steadfast. I thanked them for their solidarity.

When I was attacked, people started calling from all over Nigeria asking me: who are these people protesting against me? People knew what I have done to keep APGA alive and If it has come to a stage where the present managers of the party begin to insult me; it means that they don't know anything about the party.

It is because that some of them came in by accident, they've not been able to go through the history of the party and know what I actually represent in the life of the party.

The mistake they have made is for Oye to run away from the past leaders of the party. He broke away from them, he didn't want anybody to come near, he didn't want anybody to say anything. His sound was that “I'm the one giving ticket, nobody should go to anybody I'm giving ticket” It was what ruined the party, because he doesn't want to be helped, he doesn't want to be guided. Anybody that talked to Victor Umeh became an enemy and all of them went to him and he collected their monies and he wants me to keep quiet, I cannot keep quiet.

I am here, I'm not leaving this party, I will not leave this party, I will never leave this party. I will be here to ensure that this party continues for our people.

Any person who doesn't want to do the right thing for the party to continue to succeed, the person should leave and the party will continue. The party will outlive all of us.

I am here and I am ready to receive the bullets because the truth must always be told. As we go on, you will see that all this bravado, they will come to their knees.

Truth is imperishable.