2023 and Enugu East governorship challenge

By 2023, it would have been 16 years in which the Enugu East Senatorial Zone would have waited to return to control of political power at the centre of the state. 

Enugu east senatorial zone is made up of Isiuzo; Enugu East; Enugu South; Nkanu West; Nkanu East and Enugu North local governments. What is now known as the governorship rotation arrangement of the state is said to have started in 1999 began with the area.

Although he had 1999 contested his elections with other opponents from the two other senatorial zones of the state, it took a dint effort from Dr Chimaroke Nnamani, (Enugu East), who was governor of the state from 1999 to 2007 to move power out of his zone to Enugu West senatorial zone. That effort had single-handedly made him pick and bankrolled the election of Sullivan Chime as his successor.

The bravery and the benefits inherent in this singular action materialized into what is known in Enugu currently as the “turn by turn governorship position” or “governorship rotation.”

As the bells toll for the 2023 elections and with the general acceptance in the state that governorship power should return to where it started in 1999 (Enugu east), there seems an urge for a younger politician from the area to mount the saddle, perhaps, for the next eight years. 

A third time member, representing Enugu’s south and north federal constituency, Prince Offor Chukwuegbo, appears in the reckoning of the people of the senatorial zone as one that should step into the big shoes of incumbent Governor, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi.

Chukwuegbo served former governor Nnamani as Special Adviser before contesting the House of Assembly election for Enugu’s south urban constituency, which he won. In 2007, he contested the election of Enugu south and north federal constituency and won. He was reelected in 2011 but lost the bid to continue in 2015. He returned again in 2019 and won the seat, that he now occupies. He is about the only one that has shown serious commitment so far from the zone in the project and has gone about it without waiting for anybody’s endorsement, unlike others.

At a function recently, stakeholders from Enugu East senatorial zone did not hide their desire to produce the next governor of the state, insisting that it was their turn to do so. They stated that as part of their commitment to the peace and sustainable development of the state, they had willingly relinquished power in 2007 after their son, Chimaroke Nnamani had served for eight years.

“If we wanted to be selfish, we could have retained the opportunity knowing that there was nothing like zoning or discussion anywhere about the transfer of power to any zone. Others should see the role Enugu East played in relinquishing power as a supreme sacrifice that should be emulated for the growth and development of our dear state. Now that the singular effort has resulted in every part of the state having a feel of it, it will do us some good to allow the trajectory to continue”, they said.

Immediate past Chairman, Enugu South local government, Monday Eneh had told the stakeholders that, Enugu East deserved all the support to enable it to produce Ugwuanyi’s successor, stressing that the people of the zone had “waited for 16 years and have supported other zones without complaining to become governor of the state.”

He spoke on the desire of the zone to have Offor Chukwuegbo occupy the Lion building after Ugwuanyi as according to him, “he is a young man who has made strides serving Enugu south and north in the House of Reps; He is a Prince in Amaechi and has paid his dues in politics. He has made contributions to the development and peace of his constituency and given the opportunity, he will serve the state better”

But Chukwuegbo is not the only one thirsty for the number one seat in Enugu East senatorial zone. There are deep and wide rumours that immediate past commissioner for Environment, Chijioke Edeoga; former Senator, Gilbert Nnaji; former Commissioner for Finance, Peter Mba; former Minister of Information, Frank Nweke; former Permanent Secretary, Chinyeaka Ohaa; Businessman Evaristus Nnaji and a former Minister of Power, Prof Barth Nnaji, Umunnakwe Onoh and Kingsley Udeh are interested in the number one slot.

Each of the aspirants has either secretly purchased the PDP’s expression of interest and governorship nomination forms or waiting for Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi’s endorsement to declare their interest openly.

While, many of the afore-listed aspirants from Enugu East senatorial zone have continued in their discreet endeavours over their aspirations, Chukwuegbo has advanced in his consultations aimed at winning the support of the people for his aspiration.

Regarded as a grassroots mobilization he has also gone a step further to inaugurate his campaign coordinators in the 260 wards of the state; a development, many sees as “part of commitment and seriousness in the realization of his governorship bid”.

The Guardian gathered that the Coordinators, who are also statutory ward delegates of the PDP would take his campaign message to the grassroots, while ensuring that, no effort was spared to deliver him at the end of the day.

Chukwuegbo had told a capacity filled hall of supporters during the inauguration exercise: “You already know about the project and to an extent, the challenges facing us. You might even discover along the line that, as gallant foot soldiers, what you bring to the table, the sacrifice you make, risks you bear, far outweighs what I’m in a position to offer as your aspirant. Not to worry though; as in all collaborators or partnerships, the return on investment is the bigger picture; the justification. This is our chance.

“We are committed, serious and realistic in our aspirations as you all know already. However, we are not taking anything for granted, meaning we have to do the needful. And the needful in this instance is to work, work and work as a committed, united team of PDP faithful, to give ourselves the best chance possible at coming party primaries”

He used the occasion to let the public into some of the ideas that he would pursue if elected as governor in 2023: “The power we seek, ladies and gentlemen, and I am humbled you have bought into this since the inception of this project, is the power to consolidate and build on the achievements of the government of the day – the Ugwuanyi regime.

“The power we seek is to have the opportunity to add value, improve on services rendered to our folks; the power to continue to make government accessible to the people and make lives of Enugu people better.
“We earnestly desire to continue to promote and sustain existing peace in our communities and secure our neighbourhoods. We shall continue to provide enabling environment for government/people partnership in areas of critical services like security, housing etc. while providing attractive platforms for entrepreneurial and business endeavours to thrive.”

With the growing interest in the number one slot from Enugu East, the tendency, however, that it would not be an easy battle for the three-time House of Representatives member has continued to reverberate. The first is the deep-seated rumour that Governor Ugwuanyi has allegedly made up his mind to support the aspiration of someone from Isiuzo local government to take over from him in 2023. Isiuzo is one of the local governments in the Enugu East senatorial zone.

Although many had doubted it, however, when Chijioke Edoga, the commissioner for Environment, who is from Isiuzo resigned from his appointment days to “enable me to contest the gubernatorial election of 2023”, many began to see the realities in the rumours. His area is also said to be one of the least developed places in the state. Part of the odds against him, however, is an alleged reliance on the governor to anoint and deliver him. His area is said to produce the current state chairman of the party.

Aside from Edoga, there is the former power Minister, Barth Nnaji, who was last week, “forced” into the governorship race by a group, “New Enugu Coalition for Good Governance”, led by Ekene Uzodimma, who raised funds to purchase the governorship interest and nomination forms for him. Nnaji was never in the contemplation of anyone for the office before then.

Speaking when he accepted the challenge to run, Nnaji who hails from Nkanu East local government stated that he never desired to join the race, adding that he had led his people to consult with certain leaders of the state so as to elicit their support for the area to produce Ugwuanyi’s successor. Sources indicated that he would need to battle with three other aspirants from the area, said to be more rooted in the party to win PDP nomination despite his non-interest in the seat.

For those from Nkanu West, which includes Frank Nweke, Peter Mba, Chinyeaka Ohaa; the desire of former governor Chimaroke Nnamani to return to the senate in 2023 have dwarfed their chances as it is said that “they cannot hold Senate position and governorship at the same time.” Nnamani has already bought and returned his nomination form for the Senate position to the party.

There is the other notion that the area was the first to produce a governor in 1999 and that it would be unfair to allow the council another opportunity in 2023 when other local governments are yet to produce for once.

Enugu East local government is not in the reckoning because it is said to have produced the current Speaker of the House of Assembly in the state, who has served for eight years and remains an urban local government.

These are some of the arguments being canvassed that may favour Chukwuegbo. Aside from being the only contestant from his Enugu South local government, a new slang that is now gaining currency is that the former governor of old Anambra State, Chief Jim Nwobodo should be compensated with the position. Nwobodo is from Enugu south local government, same as Chukwuegbo.

Those in favour of the campaign believe that Nwobodo has done well for the state. They believe that the sacrifices he made as governor in the old Anambra State gave birth to Anambra, Ebonyi and new Enugu states, insisting that his local government should be given the opportunity to produce the governor of the state “now that he is alive”

Leader of Enugu Progressives, Dr Chinaka Eze, said in a statement last week, that, “Enugu will not lose anything if honour is accorded to Nwobodo’s Enugu south local government in the governorship election of 2023 since it is the turn of Enugu East Senatorial zone. We say this following the widely held acceptance of his fatherly role in the state. If he has worked other zones and local governments to occupy the office, it will not be out of place if his area is given the opportunity.”