Enugu North: Challenger rocks boat over Ugwuanyi’s bid

Last Sunday, at a stakeholders’ meeting attended by the Governor in Enugu North Senatorial District, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Zonal Chairman, Enugu North Senatorial District, Nze Onyeze, said the party in the zone has decided to appreciate the governor by endorsing him as the PDP senatorial candidate for the 2023 general election.

According to him, the appreciation became necessary for his remarkable achievements in Enugu North Senatorial District in particular and the state in general in spite of the nation’s economic challenges and the state’s limited resources. According to Onyeze, the decision was informed by the outcome of an assessment tour of infrastructural projects executed by the governor.

But socio-cultural group, under the auspices of ‘Igbo Eze Unity Forum’ on Friday, disagreed with the governor’s endorsement for the senate ticket of the ruling party, citing an existing rotation arrangement within the senatorial district. The group urged the governor not to allow himself to be used to scuttle an arrangement that has maintained peaceful coexistence in Enugu North.

Expressing the dissatisfaction of his group to the decision of Governor Ugwuanyi to corner the senatorial ticket of the district, Dr. Ifeanyi Ofor, the Principal Coordinator of Igbo Eze Unity Forum, said the arrangement being followed in the area especially by the ruling PDP favours Igbo Eze South/Nsukka federal constituency and not Igbo Eze North/Udenu federal constituency, where the governor hails from.

Ofor added that the people of Igbo Eze South/Nsukka federal constituency were not consulted on the “decision to gift the senatorial seat to Governor Ugwuanyi.” He added that “while we also appreciate the good job he did as the governor of the state and would want him appreciated, it is important to note that the peace of the zone is more important than anybody’s ambition.

“It is important to note that there are qualified and willing candidates in Igbo Eze South/Nsukka federal constituency and it is against the dictates of justice and fairness to bypass them and force another person outside the zone on the senatorial district as senator. The issue of zoning and rotation of political offices is such a delicate matter that we must not toy with,” he warned.

Utazi backs Ugwuanyi

Meanwhile, the Senator representing the district, Chukwuka Utazi, has announced his decision not to contest the senatorial seat, saying he has decided to allow Governor Ugwuanyi to emerge as the Senator of the Senatorial district in the 10th National Assembly. He made the announcement while addressing delegates of the PDP from Enugu North Senatorial District and other stakeholders of the party in Enugu.

The decision, he said, is to promote the existing peace in Enugu North Senatorial district and Enugu State. He said he did not purchase the Expression of Interest and Nomination forms of the party for the Senatorial seat to give Ugwuanyi, who he described as “our leader and brother”, maximum support. According to the incumbent Senator, the PDP family in Enugu North Senatorial District and the entire people of the district are solidly behind him.

“We will follow our brother and leader; we are going to be behind you, and pray that God will guide you to take these decisions. We are here to reassure you that it is ordained by God that you do the things you are supposed to do. We are here to also reassure that you have our backing. Our case is not just political. The followership and backing are also spiritual. And you have our spiritual backing too.

Utazi, who is the Chairman, Senate Committee on Primary Health Care and Communicable Diseases, added that “t he district is going to continue this support at the voting level during the general elections.” Numerous prominent political leaders from the zone were in attendance at the meeting where Utazi declared his support for Ugwuanyi.

Rt. Hon. Martins Oke, representing Igbo-Etiti/Uzo-Uwani Federal Constituency, his Igbo-Eze North/ Udenu counterpart, Hon. Engr. Simon Atigwe, two former State Chairmen of the PDP from Enugu North Senatorial District, Engr. Vita Abba and Chief Ikeje Asogwa, among many others, witnessed the event.\

Troubled consensus

Determined to ensure that the rotation arrangement is not jettisoned, Professor Eddy Ugwu has decided to drag the ticket of the PDP with the governor in spite of the overwhelming endorsement from party leaders and members across the senatorial district. He is pleading with Governor Ugwuanyi to drop his ambition of vying for the position and support him.

Ugwu, who is one of the founding fathers of the PDP in the state made the plea on Wednesday after appearing before the PDP National and State Assembly screening exercise for Enugu state Aspirants, held at the state party Secretariat in Enugu. The visibly angry aspirant explained that he went into the senatorial contest on the conviction that the rotational/zoning principle would be respected.

The arrangement, he insisted, favours his constituency, Igbo Eze South/Nsukka federal constituency. “Governor Ugwuanyi belongs to Igbo Eze North/Udenu federal constituency. I didn’t know he will eventually join the contest. For the sake of equity, justice and fair play and also in compliance to our zoning formula, I am pleading with Governor Ugwuanyi to shelve his aspiration to go to the senate in 2023 for me” he said.

Speaking further, he recalled that “We have supported him as a three term federal lawmaker of the National assembly, two term governor of Enugu state and our thinking was that he will be staking at the presidency in 2023. I don’t want to go to the party primaries to be disgraced by Governor Ugwuanyi or surprisingly myself disgracing him.

“I made series of consultation before picking the nomination and interest form to contest the senate, amidst the fact of my existing grass root support across the six local government areas of Enugu North district in the past two decades. For the sake of equity, justice and fair play, I am passionately appealing to Governor Ugwuanyi to let me continue with my aspiration as the next Senator of Enugu North senatorial district. I have the influence and capacity to win it for PDP, in as much as I will also enjoy his support”.

Ugwu added that it is not true that the incumbent senator of Enugu North senatorial district, Senator Chuka Utazi, stepped down for Governor Ugwuanyi. He revealed that Senator Utazi is conscious of the fact of the zoning principle did not pick the PDP senatorial nomination for a third term and described him as a gentle man in politics.

“I respect Senator Chuka Utazi a lot; he is a gentle man in politics and never wanted to disrupt the zoning formula in our district. It is the turn of Igbo Eze South/Nsukka federal constituency to produce the next senator of Enugu North senatorial district and our People are in my support. I am also pleading for Governor Ugwuanyi to support me.

The pronouncement by Sen. Utazi not to contest the senatorial seat elicited jubilation among party faithful at the meeting, prompting

But the State Deputy Chairman of the PDP, Hon. Innocent Ezeoha, insisted that the people of the senatorial district are behind the governor and PDP leaders and members in the zone are united in the decision to send Ugwuanyi to the national assembly after his tenure as governor ends. He is grateful to Senator Utazi for his sportsmanship and sacrifice in declaring his support for the governor’s senatorial bid.

To Prof Damian Opata, President of ‘Nsukka Ezue’ a socio-cultural group in Enugu North Senatorial District, Utazi has demonstrated good sportsmanship by sacrificing his seat for the interest of peace, respect for the governor and the entire Nsukka people. “Sen. Utazi’s pronouncement not to contest the senatorial seat again in 2023 general election shows that he is a peace loving human being.

“He just demonstrated that he is more interested in peace and togetherness of Nsukka zone than his political ambitions. He has equally shown his love, support and respect for the governor, PDP stakeholders in Nsukka zone,” he said. Opata, however warned those he described as trouble makers to stay away from Nsukka zone. According to him, the ruling party in the area is one, intact and indivisible.

But Dr. Ofor, while urging the leadership of the party not to do anything that can truncate the peace currently being enjoyed in Enugu North, called on Governor Ugwuanyi to emulate Senator Utazi’s gesture and decline the invitation to contest the senate seat in 2023. Describing the governor as a listening leader, he charged him to resist the temptation to contest the election.

“Aspirants from the zone that should produce the next senator have spent time and resources preparing for the race. They have waited patiently for their turn and in will be grossly unfair to topple their chance and unjustly take what belong to them. The governor must resist the temptations currently being mounted on him by people who have no regard for fairness and justice.

“Our listening and performing leader, Governor Ugwuanyi, must emulate Senator Utazi’s gesture by declining the invitation to contest the Enugu North senate seat in 2023. The leadership of the ruling party must not do anything that can truncate the peace currently being enjoyed in Enugu North. The party needs the people as we go towards the 2023 general elections,” he said.