Posted by From FRANCIS AWOWOLE-BROWNE, Abuja on
All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) leadership has come under heavy attack from the party's former National Secretary, and member, Board of Trustees (BOT), Chief George Moghalu, who said the National Chairman, Chief Edwin Ume-Ezeoke is merely presiding over a dead party.
All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) leadership has come under heavy attack from the party's former National Secretary, and member, Board of Trustees (BOT), Chief George Moghalu, who said the National Chairman, Chief Edwin Ume-Ezeoke is merely presiding over a dead party.
According to Moghalu, 'the ANPP is dead, there are no two ways to it. When I reflect over the situation in the party, I feel disappointed. ANPP is not offering any opposition and this is a tragedy to our democracy. The ANPP leadership is zero."
However, in a quick reaction to the accusation, the ANPP National Chairman asked Chief Moghalu to shut up, saying he has lost touch with the political realities of the moment. 'Moghalu is yet to recover from his defeat at the Eagle Square, where he lost out in his quest to be the chairman," Ume-Ezeoke said.
Chief Moghalu in an interview in Abuja took a swipe at the leadership of the Party under Hon. Ume-Ezeoke, pointing out that the current leadership is self-serving, which explains why the ANPP is rotating on a point and is not progressing.
When reminded that as a BOT member, he remains part of the party's leadership, Moghalu admitted that truly they were all guilty of the hopelessness in the party, saying they all allowed the ANPP to degenerate to the level it is today, He, however, exonerated himself from being part of self serving leaders who employ the party for their sole benefits, making it to lose its bite as an opposition party.
The former party scribe argued that no BOT member is involved in the day to day running of the party except the National Working Committee headed by Chief Ume-Ezeoke. 'If anything, our role as BOT members is advisory. They take decisions for the party on day to day basis, so it is Chief Ume-Ezeoke's leadership that should be held responsible."
On the Government of National Unity (GNU), Moghalu agreed that the NEC of the party took the decision, but said it has been mismanaged by the leadership who wants to be beneficiaries of the arrangement without giving a thought to how the arrangement would benefit the party and democracy in general.
Said he: 'ANPP ought to be a vibrant opposition party in this country. There are two sides in a democracy, the ruling party, and the opposition. When the party ruling is making promises, the opposition would be on its toes to ensure that promises made are kept through constant engagement and constructive arguement. In the absence of opposition, there is no democracy. ANPP is supposed to be the arrow head of opposition, but it is not so today,"
But while debunking Moghalu's claims, Ume-Ezeoke said ANPP is waxing stronger by the day, pointing out that the leadership has been busy preparing for fresh elections and by-elections across the country.
The Speaker of the House of Representatives in the defunct second republic said Moghalu's claims should be discountenanced because the BOT member has gone back to his business after the shock at Eagle square.
Said he: 'Ask him, when last did he visit the party secretariat. He has lost touch with reality, ANPP is progressing and making waves all over the place. We remain number one opposition party in the country. He is making an uninformed expression, because he has been left behind."