There appears to be respite for the national chairman of the All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, Sir Victor Umeh, who was facing the threat of impeachment from some members of the party. 
Umeh, a former national treasurer of APGA had come under attack by a faction of the party. But at an emergency national conference of stakeholders’ forum held recently in Abuja by the party’s hierarchy, a vote of confidence was passed on the party’s national chairman. “Chief Victor Umeh has distinguished himself as a frontline national chairman, having recorded monumental achievements since his assumption of office as national chairman of APGA. Chief Victor Umeh has led our party from obscurity to fame. APGA now has presence in all the 36 states of the federation including Abuja and controls the governments of Anambra and Imo States, making inroad into other states with the prospect to win more states, come 2015,” members of the party noted in a statement issued at the end of the meeting. They warned dissatisfied members to desist from running down the image of the party and its national officers and called on loyal party members to ignore outbursts of few disgruntled elements playing out their frustration on the pages of newspapers suggesting that the national leadership had been removed. The communiqué was signed by the national coordinator of the forum, Chief George Okereke; secretary, Alhaji Sani Usman and the publicity secretary, Dr. Femi Omosowon. The meeting was attended by APGA national officers and stakeholders across the nation.
Investigations by this magazine revealed that the call for Umeh’s removal was ignited by Chief Nwobu Alor, special assistant to Governor Peter Obi on parks and markets, who accused the national chairman of highhandedness. Nwobulor contended that the party needs to be restructured and fresh blood injected through election of new officers. A faction of the party later gave Umeh a period of time to resign as national chairman or be disgraced out of office.
The call for Umeh’s ouster started last year when the national chairman was said to have met with Governor Peter Obi over the conduct of the local government election in the state and reshuffling of his cabinet. According to a source, Umeh wanted the governor to conduct the elections as a way of compensating party members instead of allowing them to queue at the government house, seeking one favour or the other. He told the governor that party members complained that they were not being carried along by his government. Obi’s refusal generated a cold war between himself and his national leader. The governor said there was no rationale in making changes in his cabinet. 
On the local government election, the governor believes there should be a statutory chairman of Anambra State Independent Commission, ANSIEC, before the election can be conducted. The former chairman of the commission, Professor Titus Eze was removed for alleged financial mismanagement. Professor Eze has instituted a case in court challenging his removal. 
The Anambra State chairman of the party, Chief Mike Kwento however, said the governor was not involved in the plot to remove Umeh and is rather busy with rendering quality service to the people of the state than concerning himself with what is going on in the party. He advised those who want to destabilise APGA to look elsewhere or form a party of their own. “APGA will never tolerate disgruntled elements that wish to disintegrate the party,” the chairman warned. He said there is a laid down role for removing an officer of the party and not through pages of newspaper.
A member of the party told this magazine that the death of the party’s board of trustees, BoT Chairman, Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu, played a role in saving Umeh’s job. Since the demise of Ikemba in November last year, members of the party have been more concerned with giving him a befitting burial than creating factions, which they believe would be a befitting farewell to the spirit of the former BoT chairman.