Nnamani restrains Ebeano group from LP, Obi-dient movement

LP guber candidate assures issues-based campaign

There are apprehensions in Enugu State, following the emergence of Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi’s cousin, Chijioke Edeoga, as the Labour Party (LP) governorship candidate in the state.

Barely 48 hours after his emergence as the party’s gubernatorial standard-bearer, the Fourth Republic governor of Enugu and initiator of the Ebeano political family in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Senator Chimaroke Nnamani, warned his supporters of the dangers of continued membership of the Obi-dient Movement.

Nnamai noted that their continued association with the Obi-dient Movement, which supports the LP’s presidential candidate, Peter Obi, could rub off on PDP’s fortunes in the forthcoming general elections.

Meanwhile, reacting to apprehensions over his emergence as LP guber candidate, Edeoga warned those trying to characterise his governorship ambition as an affront to Governor Ugwuanyi to desist.

In a statement in Abuja, Edeoga said: “Some overzealous individuals have been making efforts to create bad blood between me and the governor.”

Promising to run an issues-based campaign, Edeoga, who is a lawyer, declared: “One of the underpinnings of multi-party democracy is the plurality of views and options. I believe my emergence as a guber candidate of LP will advance the course of democracy and offer our people a variety of choices.

“The dictates of free, fair and credible elections presuppose freedom to vote and be voted for in periodic elections. The people should be allowed to have the final say on who should represent or govern them.”

The Edeoga remarked that “in line with rules of engagement of the Obi-dient Movement, I plead with supporters of LP to avoid hate and show love in every aspect of their public conduct. Let us keep our campaigns clean.

“Election is not war and politics without bitterness should be the rallying cry of every citizen of our dear state and country.”

It could be recalled that Edeoga had contested the governorship ticket of PDP and emerged the first runner-up to Dr Peter Mbah.

Ugwuanyi rebuffed pressures on him to support the gubernatorial aspiration of his cousin, Edeoga, who hails from Isi-Uzo Local Council of the state.

Disappointed with the PDP governorship primary, Edeoga, who was a member of the lower chamber of the fourth National Assembly, complained about the injustice in PDP and decamped to LP.