The adoption of the popular member of the House of Representatives, Ifeanyi Uguwanyi as the consensus gubernatorial candidate of the mainstream section of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP was a political masterstroke from the camp of Governor Sullivan Chime. But how far it removes the battle with the Deputy President of the Senate, Ike Ekweremadu is another thing.
The choice of the popular Hon. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, as the consensus candidate by the mainstream section of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP aligned to Governor Sullivan Chime as the party’s 2015 gubernatorial candidate was received with excitement across many.
Chime, Ugwuanyi and Ekeremadu
Even more remarkable, he had been able to ably manage the difficult bridge between the Chime camp and the camp of PDP stakeholders aligned to Senator Ike Ekweremadu.
Having served three terms in the House, Ugwuanyi was already looking beyond the chambers of the House of Representatives for his future political directions, especially given the directive by the governor that federal lawmakers who have served two terms would not be returning to the National Assembly. He was among the more than one dozen aspirants who had quietly commenced mobilisation for the governorship contest.
Last Friday the governor had called all aspirants interested in succeeding him alongside some major stakeholders including the party chairman to a stakeholders’ meeting. All the aspirants as had been resolved by Chime were from Enugu North senatorial district, the only section of the state yet to produce a governor in the Fourth Republic. Some aspirants claimed that they were hitherto not briefed on the purpose of the meeting.
Once the meeting commenced, the governor was said to have briefed his guests on the need to produce a consensus candidate among those interested for the purpose of a seamless transition. Some of the aspirants were said to have expressed uneasiness with the arrangement, notably, Senator Ayogu Eze, a two term member senator, Speaker Eugene Ode, the presiding officer of the House of Assembly.
As the meeting progressed some of the aspirants as if they had earlier been briefed started stepping down for Ugwuanyi prompting fears among some of the aspirants of what one of the aspirants called a kangaroo arrangement.
With more than eight of the aspirants having stepped down for Ugwuanyi, Governor Chime according to sources was said to have proposed that the stakeholders should formally adopt Ugwuanyi, a proposal that said through despite the opposition of some of those present, notably Senator Eze and Odo.
The opposition nonetheless, the stakeholders progressed to adopt Ugwuanyi and the decision quickly seeped through to the mass media the following day, Saturday.
Indeed, barely 48 hours after the resolution, Senator Ayogu Eze, the two term senator representing Enugu North senatorial zone came out to openly denounce the decision saying he was hoodwinked into the meeting. He pledged to forge ahead with his gubernatorial ambition on the platform of the PDP.
Expressing his rejection of the decision on Ugwuanyi, he said:
“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’ve not and will not step down for any anointed candidate. I’m still squarely in the race for the Enugu Lion Building in the year of our Lord 2015.
“I was invited to a meeting of a gathering of the people of my senatorial district presided over by the governor at the Governor’s Lodge in Enugu on Friday September 26, 2015. Prior to our arrival at the Government House that Friday afternoon the agenda of the meeting was not circulated. Neither was the criterion for selecting those attending the meeting made known to me.
“At the meeting I pointedly stated that though I was already in their midst in a sort of an ambush I was not bound by their decision, to which I believe they were entitled. It is their inalienable right to choose a consensus candidate in the same manner that to my supporters and well wishers I’m also consensus candidate.
“I look forward to all the consensus candidates of the various interest groups meeting in the field at the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, governorship primaries on November 29, 2014 to test which of the various consensus blocs is numerically stronger.
“Democracy is about elections and the will of the people. Those elements of democracy will be put to test when we arrive the field for the primaries. I’ll gladly accept the outcome of the primaries and go the extra mile to work for the party with resources and whatever it will take to give the opponents of the PDP a run for their money.”
Meanwhile, the decision of the outgoing governor to incline himself towards Ugwuanyi was being described as a masterstroke among political stakeholders in Enugu, given the popularity and acceptance of the presumptive nominee among the two major camps.
“The decision to incline towards Ugwuanyi is one that may have been influenced by the decision to propose somebody that Ekweremadu would find difficult to object to,” one source said at the weekend.
The state chapter of the All Progressives Congress, APC, meanwhile, has dismissed the exercise as a charade saying, “It is clear that the PDP through its mechanism has shut its door to the 12 other aspirants from their party.”
“Worse still is that, Governor Chime has made himself the king over 4.5 million citizens of Enugu state and over 2.5 million registered voters in Enugu. But Enugu people are not stupid people and those aspiring to lead Enugu State are lucky to have an alternative in APC.
“In this regard, they will have their voice heard in APC in 2015. The battle line has been between the people choice and Governor Chime’s choice in PDP.”
National Chairman of United Progressives Party, UPP, Chief Chekwas Okorie in his own reaction, said, “the Governor just invited people he recognize as stakeholders from Enugu-North senatorial zone to arrive at a candidate.
“That does not mean that another person cannot purchase the governorship form when the time comes from PDP headquarters, Abuja.”
In the same vein, the All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, Enugu State Chapter, noted that the party will field a better candidate that will out shine Ugwuanyi.
APGA spoke through its state Chairman, Mr. Sunday Nwachukwu.
“It is a party issue. Although Ugwuanyi is credible, APGA will ensure it fields a more credible candidate come 2015. Our candidate will be acceptable to the people and will have better credentials when compared to PDP’s.
“The important thing is for the masses to vote a candidate that will deliver good governance to our impoverished people. For now, that ‘Moses’ that will lead our people to the promise land is what APGA will field in Enugu State.”
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