Everything To Know About APGA, An Emerging Political Party in Southeast Nigeria

The All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) a small political that started in the southwest has now grabbed National attention after its candidate, Dr. Charles Soludo emerged as the elected Governor of Anambra state after the just concluded election.

APGA was founded by Chekwas Okorie on Saturday 22nd June 2002. Okorie received the certificate of registration on Monday, 24th June 2002 in an impressive ceremony at INEC headquarters presided over by late Dr. Abel Guobadia, a  former chairman of INEC.

The late Biafran warlord, Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu popularly known as Ojukwu was also one of the founding fathers of APGA.  He reportedly joined the party six months after it was formed dumping the defunct APP.

Chekas Okorie, the Founder of the party, proposed Ojukwu as the presidential candidate of the party for the 2003 presidential election and Alhaji Sanni Bayero as his vice.

APGA Electoral History

In 2003 Ojukwu, alongside his vice, Alhaji Sanni Bayero, representing APGA  contested for presidential position of the country. The party lost the election, as they got just 3.3% of the total vote.

The party however won 1.4% of popular votes and won  2 of 360 seats in the House of Representatives of Nigeria at the legislative elections held on 12 April 2003.

In 2007 the Party contested in the Presidential election again, fielding Ojukwu as the Presidential candidate but was defeated by the ruling party’s candidate, Umaru Yar’Adua.

In 2011, APGA produced its first elected governor in the person of Chief  Rochas Okorocha, who was elected the governor of Imo State after the 2011 Gubernatorial elections.

Also in November 2013, Willie Obiano became the governor of Anambra state, having successfully contested for the position under the platform of the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA).

In February 2013, a faction of the party merged with the Action Congress of Nigeria, the All Nigeria Peoples Party, and the Congress for Progressive Change to form the All Progressives Congress (APC).

In January 2018, the party clinched a seat in the Senate after a by-election.  The party experienced remarkable growth during the 2019 elections as it won 7 seats in the House of representatives compared to the 2015 elections where only two seats were won.

And as earlier stated the party also won the just concluded Anambra governorship election, therefore making the party a political force to reckon with.

The leadership of the Party

After a long internal leadership battle between Edozie Njoku and Victor Oye, who both claimed to be party chairman, the National Executive Committee suspended both from the party and appointed the Deputy National Chairman South Jude Okeke as Acting Chairman in June 2021.

However, Oye continued to control much of the party and claim that he is the rightful chairman until the Supreme Court ruled in Oye’s favor in October 2021.