The National Chairman of the All Progressives Grand Alliance, Chief Edozie Njoku, on Saturday led the party’s National Working Committee to apologise to its pioneer leader, Chekwas Okorie, for all the wrongs past leadership of the party had done to him.
Njoku, who regretted that Okorie was unjustly pushed out of the party for close to 15 years, appealed to him to “please” return to the party.
He said, “What we are here to do today is not to bemoan, think about the past, we are here to say Chief Chekwas Okorie – you are the face of the party, we are here to say we are truly sorry.
“From the bottom of our hearts, we are truly sorry for all the injustice you have suffered in this great party that you conceived and brought all of us into Igboezuo. We are truly sorry. We are just asking that you find a place in your heart because time has gone by to forgive us.
“Thank God you are one of two or three people who really put their blood, their energy, not just registration to build that political party called APGA. I see some faces today and I am so nostalgic and sad but I shouldn’t be sad, I should be happy. This is your family. APGA is your home. APGA is your baby, and we say please come back to your home.”
Responding to the request, Okorie said he was happy to recite the slogan of APGA again.
He said “I am a bit emotional with the nature of this visit. You have melted my heart. God has rescued APGA and days of the locust have gone. The national chairman of APGA was part of Igboezuo socio-cultural group where APGA was conceptualized.
“We are going to build back APGA but if we must succeed in this second missionary journey, we must be warned against dangerous people,” adding “I will consider what you have requested of me favourably”.
“I will consult with those who stood by me throughout the locust days. I will not keep you waiting for a long time. Nigerians will hear from me so soon.”
Okorie, however, said that APGA was a victim of ‘political brigandage’ caused by ‘political buccaneers’.
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