APGA Chieftains In Physical Combat In Abuja Over Party HQ Takeover

But for insistence of Chief Maxi Okwu that brute force should not be applied in the attempt by National Executive Committee, (NEC) of All Progressives Grand Alliance, (APGA) to reclaim the party’s headquarters’ secretariat at Librevile Street, Wuse, Abuja; the situation would have degenerated into a free for all.

 Chief Okwu, alongside the party’s governorship candidate in the Anambra 2013 election, Dr. Chike Obidigbo, other members of the party’s NEC and bailiffs arrived the premises of APGA headquarters yesterday, only to meet resistance from former Secretary of the party Alhaji Sani Shinkafi and few of the personal aides of the former National Chairman of the party, Chief Victor Umeh. Piqued by Shinkafi’s defiance of the exercise of the lawful order of court by the bailiffs, some APGA faithful decided to take possession of the premises, wondering why Alhaji Shinkafi should be behaving as if the party’s facility was his personal property.

 As the verbal altercation between Shinkafi and APGA supporters receded into physical confrontation, National Chairman, Okwu; intervened, warning that anybody that engaged in fights stand the risk of prosecution adding that as a disciplined political party, APGA should not be seen as behaving as hooligans.

 Speaking to journalists when the melee subsided, Okwu explained that “We are here to serve form 48 on Chief Victor Umeh and Alhaji Sani Shinkafi, which is the first proceeding in contempt of court. They have evading service and we decided to come and paste at the premises of the APGA headquarters”.

On what he intends to do since the two persons were not there, Okwu said we would occupy; there are processes in law and when you exhaust all avenues at personal service, you take to substituted means and in the full view of the public we have come to serve”.

The national chairman explained that the resistance by Umeh’s aides was their way of obeying last orders pointing out that “we are not here to fight, that is what I have made those with us to understand, this is a peaceful party; they are obeying last orders.”