TheCable

Samuel Njoku, a leader of the Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB), has asked residents of the south-east not to vote any candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) in 2019.

The party was founded by the late Emeka Ojukwu, hero of the Biafra war.

Addressing reporters in Owerri, Imo state capital, Njoku asked APGA members to stop using Ojukwu’s pictures for political campaigns.

He said recent events have shown that APGA was no longer an Igbo party.

Njoku criticised the party for failing to give Bianca, Ojukwu’s wife, the Anambra south senatorial ticket.

Bianca lost the senatorial ticket to Nicholas Ukachukwu.

“We want to passionately appeal to APGA to stop ridiculing the name of our late leader, Emeka Ojukwu. APGA should allow Ojukwu’s spirit to rest in peace,” Njoku said.

“They should stop using Ojukwu’s photographs and names for political campaigns. We want to urge Ndigbo to avoid APGA during the 2019 general election. They should not vote for any candidate in APGA because the party is no longer an Igbo party. Ndigbo should make sure that the political businessmen in APGA stop using APGA to insult Igbo people.

“We do not want any Igbo person to talk about APGA again. APGA is no longer a political party and it is not for the Igbo people. APGA was the one that brought out Bianca and they also ridiculed her and that is a big insult to the Igbo race.”

Also speaking, Okechukwu Nwaogu, a member of MASSOB, wondered why APGA’s former national chairman was given automatic ticket while Bianca was not given, saying the party had fallen short of their expectation.

He said: “We wonder why the former national chairman of APGA, Senator Victor Umeh, was given automatic ticket to represent Anambra central in the senate.

“Just recently, a brother to governor Willie Obiano was also given an automatic ticket to represent Anambra north. But unfortunately, Bianca Ojukwu, widow to the leader of the party was denied ticket to represent Anambra south in the senate.

“APGA has populated the temple of politics in the south east and therefore has come short of our expectation. Since Bianca Ojukwu is not qualified to represent Anambra south according to APGA, the party should henceforth desist from using Ojukwu’s photographs in any of its campaign posters.”