Any political watcher of the political developments in Enugu State will understand that all is not well with the ruling party in the area. The uneasy calm in the party which started in May this year, when Governor Sullivan Chime announced the zoning of the governorship position to Nsukka Senatorial Zone, took another dimension with the decision of Chime and some top leaders of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in the state to anoint the member representing Igboeze North/ Udenu in the House of Representatives, Hon Ifeanyi Ugwanyi, as a consensus governorship candidate of the party during the 2015 general elections.
However, the volcano that erupted shortly after the announcement has reshaped the nature of politics in the state not known for rancorous politics in the past.
Earlier media reports had indicated that Ugwanyi was unanimously chosen to succeed Chime as governor in 2015 at a meeting attended by all the contestants at the Government House in Enugu with other leaders like the former Governor of old Anambra State, Chief Jim Nwobodo, the former Governor of the old Enugu State and national chairman of the PDP, Dr Okwesilieze Nwodo, former deputy governor of the state, Dr Okechukwu Itanyi, Senator Ayogu Eze, Hon Ifeanyi Ugwanyi, the state chairman of the party, Chief Vitta Abbah, Ambassador Fidel Ayogu, former Senate President, Senator Ken Nnamani, Senator Fidelis Okoro, Chief (Mrs) Justina Eze, former Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Chief Dubem Onyia, the Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Hon. Eugene Odo, Chief Maduka Onyishi, Dr Godsmark Ugwu among others in attendance. According to the media reports, Governor Chime allegedly introduced Hon Ugwanyi for the number one position in the state before the motion for his adoption was raised.
•Senators Ayogu Eze and Ike Ekweremadu who is the deputy Senate President
It was also stated that the state party chairman, Chief Vita Abba who was also said to have nursed similar ambition to succeed Chime, immediately threw his weight behind the governors position, saying that, “ having served the party for several years. I will align myself with the position of the governor and am stepping down for Mr. Ugwuanyi.”
However, few days after the reported adoption of Ugwanyi was made public, several versions of what transpired at the same meeting started emerging. It was revealed that aspirants like Senator Eze, the Speaker, Eugene Odo, the proprietor of Peace Mass Transit, PMT and philanthropist, Chief Onyishi, and a former Commissioner in the state, Mr Chinedu Onu were strident in their dissenting voices at the meeting as they allegedly described the governor’s unilateral imposition of a candidate on the party as dictatorial.
Though, some of the aspirants were said to have expressed their deep resentment over what they said was a kangaroo arrangement, Senator Eze was the first formidable dissenting voice as others who equally raised objection in the said meeting initially appeared to have chickened out.
Eze who said that he would never be intimidated in his determination to clinch the party’s ticket, addressed a news conference at Abuja, where he insisted that he was still the candidate to beat in the race for the Lion Building as the Enugu State Government House in popularly called.
“I’ve been inundated by calls and personal visits by my supporters who have expressed worry and outrage at newspaper reports purporting that a consensus candidate has been anointed for Enugu State 2015 governorship election. My supporters are particularly worried by the aspect of the story claiming that I have stepped down for the said anointed candidate. I wish to state clearly and unambiguously that I have not and will not step down for any anointed candidate.
I am still squarely in the race for the Enugu Lion Building in the year of our Lord 2015.” Apparently miffed by the developments in Enugu, the National Working Committee, NWC, through the National Publicity Secretary of the party, Chief Olisa Metuh, frowned at the gale of endorsements of aspirants by some stakeholders in their states, adding that the National Executive Committee, NEC, was the only organ of the party empowered to endorse a candidate contesting under its umbrella.
Metuh in a statement said, “The NWC has noted the activities of some persons and groups supporting some aspirants for the 2015 general election at the state level. While the party cannot stop individuals, groups or communities from endorsing persons of their choice, the national leadership wishes to restate in the strongest possible terms that elected party officials at the state, local government and ward levels must remain as unbiased umpires in the
nomination process. For the avoidance of doubt, only the NEC, as an organ of the party, can officially endorse a candidate under the PDP constitution. All party officials at all levels are expected to be guided by this.”
GAME CHANGER
However, as Eze was receiving all manner of criticisms from the governor’s supporters for backing out of the consensus arrangement, the state Chairman of the party, Chief Vitta Abbah suddenly resigned his position to contest election into the House of Representatives in Nsukka / Igboeze South federal constituency on the platform of the party, thereby throwing the Chime camp into confusion.
As if to quench a raging fire with ones clothes, the Chime’s camp when Abbah resigned, hurriedly appointed one their own in the person of Mr Ikeje Asogwa as acting chairman, contrary to the position of the NWC of the party that Abbah’s former deputy, David Ajah should act as chairman until a new chairman was elected from Abbah’s area to complete his tenure in line with the party’s constitution.
But, apparently infuriated by the audacity of the development, the NWC announced the recognition of Ajah as the acting PDP chairman in Enugu. Following the recognition of Ajah as acting chairman, he was given the electoral materials for delegates to the governorship primaries of the party on November 1, which the Chime’s faction was not part of.
This was because as the governor and his supporters were hoping against hope that the materials would be delivered to his camp, the Senator Ike Ekweremadu faction which included Senator Eze were holding the election at a venue, said to have been approved by the NWC. Already, the NWC has approved the results of the election which saw Eze and Ekweremadu’s loyalists emerging victorious. The alleged refusal of the Chime’s camp amounted to boycotting an election, hence the group could not appeal against the outcome.
New Man on the Block
The meaning of the latest development is that Ayogu Eze could be the new man on the block. He is almost coasting to victory as the governorship candidate of the party during next month’s primaries of the party.
Eze, a journalist turned politician is a second term Senator representing Enugu North Senatorial District on the platform of PDP in the Senate. Eze, who is the Chairman of Senate Committee on Works, had been a top contender for the governorship ticket in the state. He has a Master’s Degree in Public Administration . Before his election into the Senate, he had been Commissioner, Special Adviser to the Governor, and Special Assistant to the Governor.
After being elected to the Senate he was appointed into the committees on Police Affairs, National Planning, Information and Media and Federal Character and Inter-Government Affairs. Observers believe that all things being equal, Eze could likely emerge as the PDP flag bearer for Enugu State for the 2015 governorship election. This was because the latest news reports indicate that the Chime’s group had approached the opposition All Progressive Grand Alliance, APGA, where its members could probably actualise their dreams of contesting elections into the state and national assemblies as they had met their road block in the PDP.
Apart from Ugwanyi, other aspirants to the various political positions who submitted their interest/ nomination forms to the Ikeje Asogwa- led faction might have reached their political dead ends. Those whose allegiance were with Ekweremadu/ Eze could scale through since their application forms were with the appropriate authority in the first place.
Apart from Chief Ken Nnamani who is on the governor’s camp, other political gladiators including Senator Ike Ekweremadu, Chief Jim Nwobodo, Dr Okwesilieze Nwodo, Dr Joe Nwodo, Senator Fidelis Okoro, Chief Frank Nweke jnr, Chief Dubem Onyia, Senator Gil Nanji, Chief Anayo Onwuegbu (Omeiheukwu) among others are not comfortable with the style of Chime who appeared to be fighting many people in the state.
Meanwhile, Justice Adeniyi Ademola of the Abuja federal high court, has granted an interim injunction restraining the PDP, it’s national chairman, and other officials, from from taking any step on any purported report or list of candidates or persons purporting to be the list of elected delegates at the ward congress from any person or persons other than the electoral committee constituted by the NWC.
The court also granted an order for substituted service on the defendants through the legal department of the PDP at the party’s headquarters in Abuja and fixed hearing on the substantive motion on notice for Friday.
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