Awka, Anambra State — Former Anambra State commissioner Joe-Martins Uzodike has explained how and why Peter Obi left the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), saying that party leaders asked him to leave.
Uzodike initially made the remarks at a political rally initiated by Ebuka Onunkwo, in a video shared on Facebook on October 14, 2026.
He later expatiated on the development in a phone interview with This Dawn News.
He described a meeting involving Catholic bishops, then-governor Willie Obiano, Obi, and other participants, although he did not name everyone present.
According to Uzodike, Obiano told Obi that APGA no longer wanted him, and Obi accepted the decision.
Uzodike said the account was intended to correct claims that APGA had made Obi governor and later granted him a political favour.
He also disputed the suggestion that Obi left APGA only after completing his governorship tenure.
The video transcript provided contains unclear names and phrases, so some details of Uzodike’s account cannot be reliably reconstructed.
Claim about Obi’s emergence in APGA
Uzodike said APGA emerged as an alternative platform after political and religious leaders sought a candidate for the 2003 Anambra governorship election.
He claimed that people involved in forming the platform invited Obi to contest after deciding he had the capacity to win.
Uzodike rejected the idea that APGA alone selected Obi, saying other organizers and supporters helped bring him forward.
He also credited Catholic voters and church influence with supporting Obi during the election.
Obi won the 2003 governorship election, but was initially denied the mandate before the courts ordered his reinstatement in 2006.
Uzodike said Obi pursued the legal challenge despite pressure to step aside, ultimately serving as governor until 2014.
His remarks present a personal account of the events; the video does not include responses from Obi or other people named.
Departure account differs from public statements
Obi resigned as APGA leader and Board of Trustees chairman in August 2014, citing family and personal reasons in his letter.
He later defected to the Peoples Democratic Party in October 2014.
In 2022, Obi recalled leaving the PDP for APGA in 2002 after feeling unable to contribute at a party meeting.
That explanation concerned his move into APGA, rather than his departure from the party twelve years later.
Uzodike’s account, therefore, adds a different explanation for Obi’s 2014 exit, alleging a direct request during a meeting.
A 2017 The Nation report also quoted Uzodike as saying Obi was asked by bishops to leave APGA.
The accounts offer context but do not establish the precise words exchanged or all circumstances surrounding Obi’s departure. (Channels Television; TheCable; The Nation)
Historical claims remain disputed
Uzodike also alleged that disagreements developed between Obi and Obiano after Obiano became governor in 2014.
He said Obi had questioned whether government funds were used to sponsor APGA, but the supplied video transcript does not clarify the details.
These claims are Uzodike’s recollections and were not independently verified in the material reviewed.
Obi has not responded publicly to the latest remarks in the sources reviewed for this report.
The former governor’s 2014 resignation letter cited personal and family reasons, while contemporary coverage noted tensions inside APGA.
Uzodike’s statement reopens debate about whether Obi’s departure reflected personal choice, party conflict, or pressure from senior figures.
