By NewsBits
The National Chairman of the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA), Sylvester Ezeokenwa has disclosed that as the new National Chairman of APGA, he would expand the Party beyond Anambra State.
Ezeokenwa disclosed this yesterday during his interaction with media practitioners at APGA Regional Secretariat Awka, Anambra State. He stated that he would partner with the media as the critical stakeholders that could assist him to achieve greater success as a newly elected National Chairman of the Party.
” At various sections, I have made interactions with journalists representing national dailies. I will partner with the media because I know how political parties operate. Some politicians do not understand the importance of the media. But I cannot do as the National Chairman of a Party without media.”
Sly Ezeokenwa described the National Chairman position entrusted on him as a project which he said he would guide with every passion and dedication with the resources he has, recalling how he emerged to become the National Chairman of APGA during its National convention and his romance with the Party from State level to National level.
“I took Over as the National Chairman of APGA on May 31, 2023, and the entire delegates of the Party decided to rest the mantle of leadership on me during the National convention of the Party.
“At the convention, I was among those who have advocated for leadership change in the Party based on wide spread of sentiment why APGA Party is just a regional Party”
So, stakeholders of the Party have decided on how to reposition the Party against the backdrop that APGA Party is Igbo or Anambra Party. Coincidentally, I, as an Anambra man, emerged as National Chairman.
“For someone who Don’t understand the background information will say why is Anambra man was elected but fact remains that the election was conducted by the entire party members and delegates”
“Actually, I joined the Party as an undergraduate in 2002. I was in the Party right from day one. My father was the Onitsha South Local Government APGA Party Chairman for several years.
“Before I became State officer of the Party, I was part of the legal team in 2017 that was instrumental to former Governor Peter Obi to secure a second tenure.
“In 2015, I became State legal adviser of the Party. In 2019, I became the National legal adviser of the Party and after 4 years, I became National Chairman.
“What Party consider is the one who have in depth of the Party and understands the process of the Party” Said Ezeokenwa.
He, however, said” As a young man, I want to leverage the capacity, resilience, intelligence, responsibility and Industry of young people in Nigeria.
“As the name APGA implies, All Progressive Grand Alliance, I will try as much as possible to allow young people to join the Party to realize their potentials and ideas they have for the country.
“What we have done as a political Party is to open our doors for Nigerians so that anybody who wants Nigeria to work should join APGA Party”
“I believe that APGA Party would take Nigeria not only beyond Africa but to the entire world. It is only APGA Party that could fix Nigerian problems”
The National Chairman equally explained that APGA Party has a formidable manifesto in acronym (DRIVE), Discipline, Rebrand, Inclusiveness, Visibility and Expansion, adding that the manifestos captured every ideology as APGA Party. “APGA Party has been a changed phase of Anambra State since 2003 till date. Before you form a political Party, you must have a clear definition of ideology.
“I make this point so that Nigerians will know which Political Party to belong to. APGA Party is a vehicle that can take you to any destination. What I observed in Nigeria is that Political Party has moved from Politically base to a mere vehicle to attain power and it is very wrong”
First thing is to get the ideology right. Just imagine a situation where one person will belong to three Political parties in a year. APGA Party in the morning, PDP in the afternoon and APC in the night.
“What the person is looking for is power. Such a person has no iota of ideology. Political Parties are identified with a clearly defined ideology and that is why in a country like America, such practice is never obtainable” Ezeokenwa concluded.
