Presidential candidate of All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Prof. Peter Umeadi, has accused the party’s National Chairman, Dr. Victor Oye, and Anambra State Governor Chukwuma Soludo of frustrating his ambition.
Umeadi who addressed journalists, said he did not receive any form of support or encouragement from the duo, including funds. He stated that his achievements throughout the electioneering period were by personal efforts.
The APGA presidential candidate further disclosed that while he enjoyed support from local government chairmen of the party, they got disappointed for what he called the unfair treatment meted out to him by Soludo and Oye.
He said;
“As I speak with you, nothing has ever come to me from the party; not one naira has been given to me as the candidate of the party by Soludo and Oye.
“Whatever efforts and breakthroughs I recorded in this presidential election have been through personal and self-efforts.
“I’m not asking for the state money. They are not supporting me either. If they are supporting and campaigning for me, people will help in funding my activities.
“All you see in the national campaign flag is APGA all the way; vote for Senate, House of Representatives, and the President is skipped.
“In other parties and under same circumstances, the party’s National and State Assembly contestants have their billboards and campaign posters with their presidential candidates. But none included me in their billboards and campaign posters because they were instructed not to work for me.
“The party, from day one, particularly the governor, sidelined me. He has not even received me. I went to see him; my name was listed in the manifest; he knew I was coming. The Deputy Chief of Staff even called me the day I went to see the governor that my name was in the manifest. I went and stayed for three hours – 2 p.m to 5 p.m – to see the governor and he refused to see me.
“I was humiliated because the security men and others around saw what happened. His party’s presidential candidate waited for three hours in his office without seeing him!
“They did everything to play down and frustrate me from the race, but I was determined. I marched on, refused to be discouraged and frustrated.
“They don’t want to project me, but they do not have any option. I am the face of APGA in Nigeria, whether they like it or not.”
The Nation reported that APGA’s National Director of Operations for the Presidential Campaign Council, Elder Afam Enemokwu also accused the party’s leadership of abandoning Umeadi and other party faithful.
In a telephone interview, Enemokwu, who doubles as Delta State APGA Chairman, alleged that the same treatment was being meted out to the party’s governorship candidate in his state.
He said;
“Our presidential candidate, Prof. Peter Umeadi, is more qualified to win the election, because he has all it takes to be President of Nigeria. But we did not do what we are supposed to do before now due to lack of funds. This is the only problem we had in the presidential election.
“No doubt, Prof. Umeadi actually shows in his personal capacity that he could do it. But the party and the governor, who was elected under APGA, has not shown him any support. In fact, the party’s leadership abandoned him and they are doing the same to our Delta State candidate.”
However, Soludo, through his Chief Press Secretary Osagie Christian Aburime, denied the allegations. The governor’s aide described them as untrue, adding that his principal supported the presidential candidate in all ramification.
Aburime said;
“Don’t forget: the governor got his ticket under APGA. As the leader of the party, the onus lies on him to support the flag bearer, which he has done for Prof. Peter Umeadi.”
