Anambra govt seals Peter Obi campaign office, factional APGA complex

The Anambra State Government has sealed the state office of a faction of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) in Awka, Anambra State.

Edozie Njoku leads the APGA faction.

Sly Ezeokenwa is the national chairperson of another APGA faction backed by Governor Charles Soludo of Anambra State.

The building in Udoka Housing Estate also houses the campaign office of the 2023 Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi.

Sealing of the offices

On Tuesday, some officials of the Anambra State arrived at the complex in the company of soldiers and police operatives and sealed the offices, Vanguard newspaper reported.

The South-east National Vice-Chairperson of APGA, Tony Uche Ezekwelu, told reporters that the state government must have felt threatened by the party’s growing popularity since Mr Njoku became the factional national chairperson of the party.

“We came to the office this morning to monitor the sale of expression of interest forms for the councillorship and chairmanship for the September 28 local government election.

“As I was coming, I saw some of our party officials struggling with officials of the state government who were accompanied by the police and the army, and they said they came to seal our party office following an order from above,” Mr Ezekwelu narrated.

Continuing, he said: “Their reason was that the area was initially mapped out as a residential area and not for commercial activities.

“Our concern was that there was no previous notice. This is our new party office since we came into office two months ago.

“There are many commercial offices in this area, including Nonye Soludo’s Healthy Living. Over the years, political parties have always used this area as their campaign office, but nobody has sealed it.”

The national vice chairperson said that in addition to Mr Obi’s campaign office, past governorship and presidential candidates had offices within the building.

“What happened here is unfortunate, and we know it is all politics. If there was any default, we ought to have been written instead of swooping into our office as if terrorists were occupying the place.

“They should know that this is the official state office of APGA and the only one for that matter as recognised by the law. Maybe they’re worried that APGA members have been trooping into the place, and that rattled them,” he said.

APGA, Anambra govt mum

When contacted by PREMIUM TIMES on Tuesday night, the National Publicity Secretary of the Governor Soludo-backed APGA, Opara Ejimofor, said he was unaware of the incident.

“I don’t have that information,” said Mr Ejimofor, the new media aide to the governor.

Similarly, the governor’s spokesperson, Christian Aburime, told this newspaper that the office’s sealing must have been in response to a violation of state law.

Mr Aburime said Governor Soludo has no hand in sealing the building.

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“Any property that was sealed off means that the owners must have infringed on the law, and there is an agency that implements such laws.

“It was not sealed up by the Anambra State Government. It was not sealed up by Governor Soludo,” he said.

Leadership crisis

There has been a leadership crisis in APGA, which has split the party into two factions—one led by Mr Ezeokenwa and the other led by Mr Njoku.

In July, Mahmood Yakubu, the chairperson of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), recognised Mr Njoku as the authentic national chairperson of the APGA.

The recognition followed a ruling in November 2023 by Justice Mohammed Madugu of a High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) in Bwari, directing INEC to accord Mr Njoku recognition as APGA’s National Chairperson.

However, days after, Mr Ezeokenwa, another factional APGA chairperson, obtained an interim injunction that retrained INEC from recognising Mr Njoku as the party chairperson.

Justice J.K. Omotoso of the Federal High Court, Federal Capital Territory Division, granted the injunction.