APGA Split Over? Bianca "To Succeed Ojukwu As Party Leader"

According to the Daily Sun newspaper, the crisis within the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) might soon subside. It would be recalled that the party has broken into fractions as the National Chairman, Chief Victor Umeh, refused to comply with the stakeholders and restructure APGA after its leader, Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu, was buried last March.

Umeh's alleged refusal led to him leading one faction and Governor Peter Obi the other, with cases still pending in courts. Umeh has been declared chairman by the Appeal Court in Enugu, and the Obi faction is heading for the Supreme Court. However, as November -- the month when the Anambra election is scheduled to be held -- is approaching, the man trying to reconcile the two factions, Chief Ralph Uwazuruike, has doubled his efforts.

According to a source privy to series of meetings of the APGA chieftains in Abuja, the efforts of the leader of the Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB) eventually paid off.

It has been gathered that Uwazuruike met with Governor Obi, Umeh, Bianca Ojukwu and other prominent members of APGA in an undisclosed venue in Abuja, and reached an agreement acoording to which Umeh should remain as national chairman to conduct the Anambra elections.

The gathering also agreed that Ambassador Bianca would step into the shoes of her late husband as new APGA leader.

Furthermore, Umeh and Governor Obi would be meeting with Uwazuruike in Owerri next week to sharpen the new peace achieved.

Bianca is expected back in Nigeria from Spain in the first week of August, and it is expected that Umeh will visit Ojukwu's Enugu residence and the news of the reconciliation will be broken.

According to a source, Obi, who had been playing the role of the deputy national leader of the party, agreed to make serious sacrifices in the interest of the party, which, he felt, should remain in power in Anambra State.

On what would happen to Chief Maxi Okwu, who is the factional chairman of the Obi-led APGA and the members of the National Working Committee elected in April during the Awka convention, the source said with Obi agreeing to sheathe his sword he would call his people to order.