On Saturday, May 6, 2017, at Udi in Udi Local Government
Area of Enugu State, former Governor Sullivan Chime formally joined the APC, a
move that seems to have rattled power brokers in the state.
Udi, Aninri, Awgu, Oji River and Ezeagu local
government areas make up the Enugu West senatorial zone.
Daily Trust on Sunday recalls that in 2015, the PDP
denied Chime a ticket to the Senate. Observers said that action was as a result
of “political manipulation” by the Deputy President of the Senate, Chief Ike
Ekweremadu, who eventually got the ticket for his third term in the National
Assembly.
Political watchers believe that since then, the relationship
between the two politicians has not been cordial.
However, during the five-hour meeting, Senator Ekweremadu
told the huge crowd: “We are here today for an expanded zonal executive
committee meeting of the PDP in Enugu West. It may appear like a rally, but far
from it. It’s just a meeting. If we organise a rally, this venue will not
accommodate all of us.”
He further explained that the meeting was to decide what
would happen in the state come 2019, noting that because they were democrats,
they decided to invite all the stakeholders of the party in the zone.
The event was attended by members of the National Assembly,
the Enugu State House of Assembly, state and local government functionaries,
traditional rulers who came in their numbers, women wings, town unions, youth
wings, taxi drivers associations, tricycle riders associations, among others.
But beyond the reasons announced by Ekweremadu, Daily Trust
on Sunday was reliably informed by an official of the party in the zone that
aside endorsing Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi for a second term, “the other reason
is to counter the so-called big crowd at the defection of Chime at the Udi
political rally on Saturday, May, 6 2017.”
“Chime wanted to show that he had political influence in the
Enugu West senatorial zone. But if you looked at the crowd today, you would
notice that it was three times that of Udi. Chime doesn’t have political
influence in Enugu West. Even as governor, Ekweremadu was able to surmount him
by first of all going back to the Senate against all odds,” he said.
Besides, other sources said Chime’s defection to the APC had
opened a new frontier of rivalry between him and Ekweremadu, with high
suspicion that 2019 would be another battle time.
It appears that Ekweremadu is now combining forces with the
incumbent governor to whittle down what remains of Chime’s political empire in
the state.
But an aide to Chime, who pleaded anonymity, said, “With
Chime’s outing during his formal defection to the APC at Udi, you can be sure
that he still has political influence, whether anybody believes it or not.
Chime is not a noisemaker. What he does is usually kept to his chest.”
In the meeting, Ekweremadu disclosed the decision of the PDP
to support Governor Ugwuanyi to continue in office come 2019, saying he
deserved the support of the zone because of his remarkable feats and love for
the people of the zone.
Senator Ekweremadu later donated two brand new Toyota Hummer
buses for the governor’s 2019 campaign, which he declared must commence same
day, noting that the donation was to consolidate on the decision of the
zone.
“These buses will start their campaign today. One is for our
state executive and the other is for the zonal executive. Our mission
here is fulfilled. We came here to take stock of Ugwuanyi’s two years in
office,’’ the senator said.
The meeting witnessed a large turnout of party faithful and
supporters from the zone and beyond, as well as mass defection of hundreds of
members from other parties to the PDP. The defectors said they were from the
APC, Labour Party (LP) and the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA).
While appreciating the people’s support for his government,
Ugwuanyi said local government election would hold in the state this year. He
further told the huge crowd that his government would reconstitute the
membership of the state boards and re-energise the structure of governance for
more effective service delivery.
But since he assumed office, the governor has always said
his administration could not conduct the council election due to lack of funds.
No one knows where he will raise fund for the local government poll.
The deputy governor of the state, Mrs Cecilia Ezeilo said,
“We the people of the zone decided to follow you because you are a man of
peace. We are going to double our support and votes for you in 2019.”
Also speaking, the pioneer chairman of the PDP in the state,
Chief Charles C. Egumgbe, who is currently the Commissioner for Water
Resources, said the PDP was the only party as far as Enugu State was
concerned.
“We are telling the governor that there is no fear. At the
end, the PDP will deliver the state as usual,” he said.
A member of the House of Representatives for Udi/Ezeagu
constituency, Dennis Amadi, also said, “The people of Udi have broken all the
political shackles to enable our people to tap the benefits of democracy.”
Furthermore, another member of the House of Representatives
(Aninri, Awgu, Oji River constituency), Toby Okechukwu, emphasised that they
would continue to support the PDP.
“We are not supporting you in vain; we are supporting
you for the things you have done here - the projects sited in our zone,” he
told the governor, adding that those leaving the PDP would later regret
their action.
The Deputy Speaker, Enugu State House of Assembly, Okey
Uzogbado, who hails from Oji River, said: “The 2019 governorship election is
going to be the easiest because right now, there is no vacancy in the Lion
Building (Government House) Enugu.”
Receiving the new members from other political parties, the
state chairman of PDP, Chief Austin Nnamani, assured them of equal
opportunities, noting that the party does not discriminate against its members,
whether new or old. He said he was happy that nobody forced them to defect from
their former parties to the PDP.
The spokesperson for the defectors, who said he was a member
of the APC, Chief Martins Nnukwuagu, said the partnership between Ekweremadu
and Ugwuanyi was the greatest thing that had happened in the politics of the
state.
“We had a series of meetings before taking our
decision, so our action is irrevocable. We were not forced to join the PDP,”
Nnukwuagu said.
One of the defectors, who claimed she contested for the
Senate on the platform of APGA in 2015, Mrs Adaeze Ijeoma Chukwu said: “I
contested for the Senate in 2015, but a whole lot of things have happened. I
love my party, APGA, but unfortunately, it is dying gradually. It is not the
APGA I used to know. I now decided to join the PDP.”
She, however, advised Ugwuanyi not to sleep with his two
eyes closed as he prepares for the race to 2019.
Responding, Governor Ugwuanyi said, “I will appeal to you
all to pray for me and Senator Ekweremadu because we cannot do it without God.
Enugu is in the hand of God.’’
By Tony Adibe
