APGA Crisis: No Grudges Against Soludo, Chekwas Okorie Declares

The pioneer national chairman of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Chekwas Okorie, said he bears no personal grudge against Anambra Governor Chukwuma Soludo, despite a long-running leadership struggle within the party.

Speaking on the sidelines of the Igbo Agenda Dialogue in Abuja, on Thursday, Okorie traced APGA’s internal crisis to the party’s early years and argued that the current tensions predate Soludo’s emergence as governor.

“I was never in any loggerhead with Soludo per se because when he came in as governor, the APGA crisis was already simmering,

“In fact, the APGA crisis started two years after it was founded,” he told the media.

Okorie, who founded APGA 23 years ago and said he has now disengaged from partisan politics, recounted efforts to broker peace between rival factions and said he had even met Soludo before the governor was sworn in to urge him to act as a de facto unifying figure.

“I said to him, ‘You are not part of this crisis. Come and play the role of a de facto leader. We had a robust conversation,” Okorie said, adding that Soludo later backed a faction.

Beyond party infighting, the elder statesman warned about weak civic participation in the South-East.

He expressed alarm at voter apathy in recent polls, describing the 21 per cent turnout in the last election as “very poor” and saying such low participation undermines the legitimacy of elected leaders.

“If they had come out in large numbers, you would have been able to say the people have spoken and the election has brought somebody legitimate.

“But you can’t say those things when the overwhelming majority of the people showed no interest at all,” he said.

Okorie also lamented persistent allegations of vote-buying, calling the practice “embarrassing” even in APGA’s stronghold.

“One would have thought that in a proper democratic setting, where popularity counts, you would no longer require money to win. But that is not what happened,” he said.

At the dialogue, Okorie outlined the goals of the Igbo Agenda Dialogue, a non-partisan platform he convened to tackle political disunity and marginalisation and announced plans for a South-East political summit in Enugu in early 2026 to unveil an “Igbo political charter.”

He argued the region must adopt a unified strategy within the constitutional framework to address historical injustices and build stronger political influence.

On his future, Okorie told the gathering he has stepped back from partisan politics for good.

“No, I am not going on any sabbatical. I have disengaged from partisan politics for the remainder of my earthly existence,” he said, noting that at 72, he has paid his dues to Nigeria’s political development.

APGA’s leadership disputes date back to the early 2000s, but have produced rival factions. Despite the turmoil, the party remains influential in the State, producing several governors over the years.