By Ifeanyi Afuba
He was victorious
in all of the 43 legal battles he fought on behalf of APGA against external
forces. He was again victorious in the internal political cum legal battles waged
to dethrone him in 2013. And his first name is Victor. As he turns 53 on July
19, 2015, will he also be victorious in the ongoing trial of his case at the election
petition tribunal? His was one of the most keenly awaited results of the April
2015 national assembly polls. And not
surprisingly, following widespread skepticism over the final result announced
by the returning officer, public interest as once more converged on the Anambra
Central Senatorial election matter at the tribunal.
The APGA party’s
elders who beckoned on him that fateful day in January 2004 to offer leadership
pved prescient that the man could rescue the party from a looming
catastrophe. A betrayal at the highest
rung of the leadership had left party members dazed and the party’s lifeline
case at the tribunal in dire straits. In the circumstance, the choice of a new
party leader demanded extra care and stringent qualifications. The days ahead were certain not to be of
picnic adventures. Nourished on the dictatorial staple of Obasanjo’s
presidency, the ruling PDP was as intolerant of opposition parties as the
illegitimate government of Chris Ngige was desperate to cling on to the APGA
mandate. It was in this very delicate circumstance that required of the party a
strong leadership that could be ‘predicted’ and trusted or go under that Chief
Victor Umeh, hitherto national treasurer of the party, came to the fore as
acting national chairman.
A foundation
member and part financier of APGA, Umeh had been involved in the spade work and
tasking negotiations that led to the formation of APGA. Although familiarity
with the APGA mission was important in determining the choice of leadership,
the candidate’s reputation as a political strategist and tactician obviously
tilted the scale in his favour. He had come into reckoning at the beginning of
the fourth republic as a focused member of the PDP and indeed of a circle that
almost succeeded in enthroning Professor A.B.C. Nwosu as Governor of Anambra
State in 1999. But for the INEC’s
partisanship, the APGA had put up a handsome performance in the 2003 election
where unofficial results gave it victory in the governorship polls in Anambra,
Enugu and Imo states. Umeh not only shared in the general credit but had the
distinction of having put his life on the line to bring the story of the
Anambra election to public knowledge.
Gifted in the art of logic and public
speaking, he had set the ball rolling in the epic struggle to recover the
party’s governorship mandate as the first person to mount the witness box.
There followed a
new phase for both Umeh and APGA that was sometimes turbulent, exciting,
challenging and fulfilling. It is
instructive that two years after, at the national convention of the party, the
stakeholders on reviewing APGA’s fortunes under Umeh’s watch, passed a vote of
confidence in his leadership by granting his appointment substantive
status. Braving the odds of meagre
funding and establishment intimidation, Captain Victor steered the party to
take roots in the fourth republic equation.
Anambra was secured; Imo state governorship narrowly lost in 2007 when
Martin Agbaso’s comfortable lead was cancelled by INEC; regained in 2011 before
Rochas Okorocha misappropriated the party’s mandate as bargaining chip into the
APC. The party’s advocacy for electoral reforms
and restructuring of the Nigerian federation achieved mileage as some of the
core decisions of the 2014 National Conference in which Umeh himself was a participant.
He would sign off boldly with the 2015 elections in which APGA is laying strong
claim to the Nassarawa and Abia states governorship.In the latter, APGA has
equal number of state legislators as the PDP while also recording legislative
seats in Taraba and Bayelsa states.
Some critics
would insist nevertheless that APGA did not realize its potential for transformation
into one of the dominant parties of the fourth republic and consequently rate
Umeh’s leadership just average. But this view would either be oblivious of the
intervening circumstances in APGA’s journey or does not wish to reconcile
itself with them. The truth is that without the Victor Umeh factor, APGA as we
know it today would not exist. It bears repeating that on coming to power in
1999 the PDP – led government did everything in its power to freeze the registration
of new political parties; and when it could no longer hold back the tide,
exploited every administrative instrument at its disposal to muscle opposition
parties. Matters were made worse for APGA by the scant attention its Governor –
leader paid to the agenda of expanding the party’s spread. The will to succeed
and leave a legacy for the party was what made the difference.
Victor Oye, the one man who should know tells
us that Umeh’s shoes were viewed as too big for whoever would succeed him
[Daily Sun, July 9, 2015].Shedding further light on the contributions of his
predecessor in taking the party to its present height, Oye stated in the cited
publication: ‘Three things could account for the success of the party in the 43
court cases. First was the uncommon love of God for the party. The second was
the flimsiness of the reasons…for the cases. And the third was the indomitable
fighting spirit of Chief Victor Umeh. He was everywhere galvanizing support for
the legal team. His elephantine memory and capacity for details singled him out
during the trying moments.’ As his more
widely known title Ohamadike [the people know their hero] suggests, Victor
Umeh’s accomplishments have been helped by his standing with civil society.
Preceded by his reputation as a political activist with focus on justice, equity
and fairness, organized labour unions tend to see him as a comrade of sorts. Many a voluntary agency, communities and
individuals who had benefitted from his philanthropy many years back needed
little rhetoric to appreciate that if he could give so much when he had no
ambition for elective office, he would do much more as an empowered public
servant. A practicing Catholic and knight of the Church to boot, we get the
impression that the quantity surveyor turned politician is one of those trying
to answer the Church’s call on Christians to get into politics and make a
difference.
Trusting in God’s
mercies, indications are that Umeh would in the years ahead, rededicate himself
to the task of creating a new Nigeria where the minorities and disadvantaged
groups will get a fairer deal. We find in this native of Aguluzuigbo, Anambra
State the passion, faculty, voice, and cognate experience required for engaging
in this task. It seems to some of us that the best is yet to come from Victor
Umeh.