Immediate past Anambra State Governor, Mr. Peter Obi, this morning deflected yesterday’s frontal attack on his person by All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) National Chairman, Sir Victor Umeh, dismissing the allegations against him.

Obi had last week resigned as APGA Leader and Board of Trustees (BoT) Chairman, expressing frustration at not being able to function in those positions as the party had leadership had failed to call a convention to ratify the appointments as required by the APGA Constitution.

Reacting angrily to the development, Umeh told newsmen yesterday in Aguleri while visiting Governor Willie Obiano in his country home that Obi deliberately stalled the convention that could have ratified the appointments. He also accused the former governor of instigating the exodus of APGA lawmakers who recently joined the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Reacting to Umeh’s claims, Obi’s media aide, Mr. Valentine Obienyem, said: “Even till today, Mr. Peter Obi remains the face of APGA and a consistent APGA member.”

According to Obienyem, “If Obi had not stayed in court to regain his mandate, to fight his impeachment, to seek tenure interpretation, there would have been no APGA today. If he had not supported the present Governor under APGA, the party would have ceased to exist. He saw the party to its second tenure in Anambra and in the end handed over to an APGA elected Governor. During electioneering, Anambra people, including Umeh said APGA won because of Obi’s work in the State. Even when he was asked by Presidents of Nigeria to leave the party, he refused, the most recent being losing being appointed a Minister because he refused to join another party. Just in December, Sir Victor Umeh presented the most Consistent and Trustworthy Party Man’s Award to Obi. It is therefore unfortunate for anybody in Nigeria of today to call Mr. Peter Obi an ingrate, not to talk of APGA members.

“Obi came to Anambra State and asked if the state was cursed or if Anambrarians were the cause. He thereafter promised to restore the state, the rebuild education and other infrastructure, to put Anambra on sound financial footing, to dismantle the parasites that fed fat on the State, to re-orientate the people of the state through right conduct. He achieved all that. Today Anambra State is better of.

“Obi fulfilled his promises to everybody, including Chief Victor Umeh who is far, far, far better than he used to be before he met Obi.

“Those who are ingrates are those who said he would become the Leader and Chairman of the party’s Board of Trustees, which could have been ratified the next day, but failed to do so for their selfish reasons.

“Obi remains an APGA member and has only resigned from being the Leader and BOT designate, which was under perpetual process of being formalized. When does an option to reject the bishopric and become an ordinary member a sign of ingratitude?

“As for those who left the party, it is an insult for anybody to accuse old men and women of being under Obi’s spell for that is the implication of saying that Obi was behind that.”

•Photo shows Peter Obi.

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