The last is yet to be heard about the defection of former
Enugu State governor, Barr. Sullivan Chime to the All Progressives Congress,
APC.
Chime had at a rally attended by a mammoth crowd over the
weekend, registered officially as a member of the APC.
However, DAILY POST reports that not happy with Chime’s
decision, his kinsmen from Udi local government area of the State thronged the
Enugu government house, where they disowned the APC.
The Udi indigenes, accompanied by the member representing
Udi/Ezeagu Federal Constituency, Hon. Dennis Amadi, the Transition Council
Chairman of Udi, Mr. Hyacinth Ngwu, as well as the PDP chairman in the council,
said Chime was on his own in the APC.
They took their turns to speak, insisting that the crowd at
Chime’s rally was rented from other council areas in Enugu and other
neighbouring States.
While presenting the position of the people to Governor
Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi and the Deputy Senate President, Chief Ike Ekweremadu, the
President of Udi Consultative Assembly, Chief Eric Chime declared that Udi was
not a push-over in Enugu politics.
“We decided to come here as a team- complete team; the
entire clan in here; we are here to tell the Governor that we are with him.
“Our brother said he joined APC to show us the way; but we,
Udi people gave him support for 8 years, yet he did nothing for us; is it now
that he is out of government that he will show us the way?
“You can see all of us here, including all the traditional
rulers in Udi; we came with one message- we supported you before, we will keep
supporting you and Udi will support you in 2019. Udi is not for APC”, he
declared.
In a remark, the Deputy Senate President, Chief Ike
Ekweramadu, described Chime as an inexperienced politician.
“Chime has no sufficient experience in politics; that is his
problem; there are about 60 APC senators, but not one of them came to that his
rally”, he said, adding that only Sokoto State governor who came to Enugu in a
different function heard it and joined the celebration.
Ekweremadu maintained that what happened to former governors
of Enugu State who defected to opposition political party would happen to
Chime.
“When Dr. Chimaroke Nnamani was governor; Senator Jim
Nwobodo left PDP for another party, since then, he has not recovered himself
politically; when Sullivan Chime became governor, his mentor and predecessor
Dr. Nnamani left PDP and since then he has not found his feet politically;
Chime has towed the same part,” he stated.
Ekweremadu, however, stated that by 2019, the incumbent
governor, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi will return to the government house.
“We are working together whether PDP has crisis or not; if
we resolve the problem we will tell you; if we don’t resolve it, we will tell
you; The important thing is that in 2019, Ugwuanyi will return as governor,” he
further stated.
By Emmanuel Uzodinma
