Chime pitches tent against Ekweremadu for Senate

 

The prediction of a political clash between Enugu State Governor, Barrister Sullivan Chime and the Deputy President of the Senate, Ike Ekweremadu ahead of 2015 general elections appear to be inevitably accurate. Going by recent rumblings in the political camps of the two illustrious sons of Enugu, the Coal City State, the battle ground has temporarily shifted from the zoning of the governorship ticket of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to Enugu North senatorial district otherwise known as Nsukka zone, to the senatorial contest of Enugu West senatorial district, a seat currently occupied by Ekweremadu.

When Chime at the middle of last year announced that he would hand over to somebody from Nsukka zone at the end of his two terms of eight years in 2015 in line with the zoning policy of PDP, and he was countered by Ekweremadu, who explained that there was no formalized zoning system by the party; many political analysts thought he was interested in the seat. Despite his several efforts to explain that he was not going to contest the governorship of the state in 2015, many people refused to believe him.

Ekweremadu and Governor Chime had engaged in a media war on the zoning of the governorship seat of the state ahead of the 2015 election. While the governor claimed that the governorship ticket of the state as far as PDP was concerned had been zoned to Enugu North, Ekweremadu discountenanced him insisting that the slot was open to all interested contestants from any of the three Senatorial districts in the state, since according to him, people from every zone always contested in the past.

“I made it clear that I’m not interested in governorship and nothing had changed since then. I believe that all of us will work together to ensure that in 2015, we have a governor we will all be proud of,” he said recently.

Incidentally Ekweremadu and Governor Chime hail from the same senatorial zone- Enugu West. With current development and the no love lost relationship between the duo, it is clear that both of them have their eyes fixed on the senatorial seat come 2015. While Ekweremadu will be making a bid for his fourth term ,Chime is being instigated by supporters and political associates who may also want to ride on the crest to contest other positions such as House of  Representative seats, to throw his hat into the ring. The calculation from his camp is that he will use his executive power to dislodge Ekweremadu.

The alleged interest of both men on the senatorial seat on one hand and on who succeeds Chime as governor on the other hand, have been fingered as the source of political tension in the state.

Few days ago, there were endorsements by different groups in support of both men for the same seat. The first to receive endorsement was Ekweremadu.

The people of Umuneke Udi clan, the umbrella communities of Governor Sullivan Chime of Enugu state, have asked the Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu to re-contest for Senatorial position of Enugu West district. Chime’s kinsmen said they are canvassing for Ekweremadu’s forth term based on achievements of the DSP in their communities more than Chime their brother.

They also noted that Ekweremadu has had quality representation in the national assembly and has given voice to their constituency and the South east in his three terms to the senate.

In a press briefing at Enugu, the President, Umuneke Progressive Front, Hon. Emeka Aneke said that their people at a special New year Conference reviewed the socioeconomic, political and infrastructure development in the clan and commended Ekweremadu for attracting projects that sustain transformation in Udi communities. They pointed at Ekweremadu’s rural transformation agenda through numerous constituency projects and appointment of their indigenes to positions of service in federal agencies and parastatals.

The Umuneke Front stated that Ekweremadu’s commanding height as deputy senate president, Speaker of ECOWAS parliament and chairman of National Assembly committee on constitution review is a clear manifestation of his national appeal and key player in geo-politics of Nigeria.

“Consequent upon the foregoing, the Umuneke Progressive Front have passed a vote of confidence on Senator Ekweremadu and urge him to re-contest the senatorial seat of Enugu west district for sustained service to the people of Enugu west, Enugu state, South East and Nigeria at large.

“We will continue to support Senator Ekweremadu in his political endeavour and we wish him good health and God’s guidance in his service to humanity,” they said in their communiqué.

A day after that endorsement and in what appeared like a reply, a pressure group, Enugu Salvation Group (ESG) similarly endorsed Governor Sullivan Chime to contest for Enugu West senatorial seat in the National Assembly. Addressing a press conference in Enugu, its National Coordinator, Steve Igweze, stated that ESG would soon write Governor Chime formally, asking him to contest for the senate in the 2015 general elections.

Igweze disclosed that a survey conducted by his group in Enugu West showed that the people overwhelmingly preferred Governor Chime to Senator Ekweremadu, who has reached his zenith in the senate as a ‘third term senator’.

The ESG boss advised Ekweremadu to drop his ambition to allow Governor Chime to go to the senate and give the Enugu West people quality representation.

Igweze dismissed the purported endorsement of Senator Ekweremadu by one Umuneke Progressives Front (UPF) from Chime’s clan saying “it is self-serving and not the wish of the electorate of Enugu West senatorial district,” going by ESG findings.

Citing a statement by Igbo People’s Congress (IPC) based in Houston Texas, United States of America, Igweze observed that most of the projects Ekweremadu claimed to have attracted to Enugu West were either phantom, abandoned, or under scrutiny. He assured that Chime will not go to the senate to support single tenure nor legalization of prostitution, adding that he is not known for singing his praises.

“It is the candid view of ESG that the achievements of the Governor in Enugu West and indeed the entire state were there for everybody to see, quite unlike those who go about glorifying themselves with phantom projects” Igweze said.

He listed among numerous Governor Chime’s projects, the urban road rehabilitation and street lightening in Enugu and Nsukka, ongoing new Secretariat complex, new Governor’s Office and ultra modern Diagnostic Centre Enugu, reconstruction of the Enugu East-Opi-Nsukka road, old Enugu-Onitsha road, from Ninth Mile Corner to Anambra border at Oji River, Akpasha-Ozalla-Nenwe-Agbogugu-Awgu road, Ugwogo Nike-Neke-Ikem and  Inyi-Awlaw road, terminating at Abia border.

Supporters of the two politicians had before now engaged in war of words. When recently Ekweremadu inaugurated a-three man Project Monitoring Committee (PMC) for each of the 81 wards that make up his Enugu West senatorial zone, many political observers rightly or wrongly believed the senator merely set up his campaign structure ahead of 2015 senatorial race.

Ekweremadu who was represented by his Special Adviser on Projects, Engr Bethel Onyeyiri noted that his main reason for being in politics was to better the lots of his people, adding that within the period he had been in the Senate, he has been able to attract people oriented projects not only to his senatorial zone but to other parts of the South-East zone.

Onyeyiri announced that more than 140 projects worth several billions of naira have been attracted by the Deputy Senate President to his Enugu-West senatorial zone.

The projects, including construction/rehabilitation of rural roads, erosion control, rural electrification, water, construction of school buildings, civic centres and town halls, solar street light are scattered across the five councils of Aninri, Awgu, Udi, Ezeagu and Oji-River that make up the senatorial zone.

While Awgu has the highest number of projects of about 34, Aninri has 33 while Oji-river, Ezeagu and Udi have 32, 20 and 20 respectively. In the same vein, a National Youth Development Centre is being constructed in each of the five councils. Each of the centre is estimated to cost a whooping N900 million.