Ohanaeze Youth Council, the foremost socio-cultural body representing Igbo youth, has called on Governor Charles Soludo of Anambra State to reconcile with Chief Edozie Njoku’s leadership of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA).
The council warned that failing to resolve the ongoing leadership crisis within the party would risk setting a dangerous precedent similar to those established by former Governors Peter Obi and Willie Obiano.
In a statement issued on Friday, the National President of the Ohanaeze Youth Council, Comrade Igboayaka O. Igboayaka, urged Soludo to embrace the Igbo philosophy of “Onye Aghala Nwanne Ya” (Don’t leave your brother behind) and adopt a reconciliatory approach.
He emphasized that Governor Soludo should support Chief Edozie Njoku’s leadership of APGA, particularly in light of the Supreme Court ruling affirming Njoku as the legitimate chairman of the party.
Igboayaka criticized the prolonged internal leadership crisis in APGA, which has persisted since 2019, describing it as a significant hindrance to the party’s progress.
He blamed Governor Soludo’s reluctance to accept the Supreme Court’s judgment, which confirmed Njoku’s leadership and subsequent recognition by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), for exacerbating the situation.
“It is disheartening that a party founded on Igbo principles by Chief Chekwas Okorie in 2002, intended to elevate Ndigbo in national politics, is now grappling with internal divisions caused by opportunistic politicians from Anambra,” Igboayaka stated.
He pointed to the negative role played by Soludo, Peter Obi, and Willie Obiano in the party’s decline, contrasting APGA’s struggles with the success of the All Progressives Congress (APC), which transitioned from the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) into a dominant national party under Bola Tinubu’s leadership.
The Ohanaeze Youth President expressed disappointment that APGA, once a beacon of Igbo political ambition, has failed to make substantial political strides in the Southeast, while parties like the ACN—under Tinubu—have grown to become national powerhouses.
Igboayaka warned that the legacy of Peter Obi, Willie Obiano, and Soludo could be defined by their role in APGA’s decline into political irrelevance.
However, he stressed that Governor Soludo still has an opportunity to turn the tide.
By ending the leadership dispute with Chief Edozie Njoku, Soludo could restore APGA’s relevance and rebuild the party into a formidable political force capable of securing victories for Ndigbo in the 2027 elections.
