IFEANYI EZUGWU,ENUGU.
Governor Sullivan Chime of Enugu State has again declared his total support and that of the people of Enugu State for President Goodluck Jonathan saying that he did not need to campaign in the state if and when he indicates his interest in contesting the 2015 Presidential elections.
The Governor who stated this while inaugurating the newly elected Chairmen of the 17 Local Government Councils in Enugu State also declared that the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) has no place in the State.
He said, “On behalf of the people of Enugu State, I once again declare our unalloyed loyalty and support for President Goodluck Jonathan and also of his programmes. We have told him that so long as he is in this business, we will be behind him. If and when he declares his intention to contest the 2015 Presidential elections, he can be assured that he will have our full support. He does not have to campaign in Enugu State at all”.
Of the APC, Chime said, “Enugu is healthy and does not need APC”.
He noted that Enugu State was the only state in the history of the country where all the council Chairmen had been returned unopposed as was done in the November 2013 local government elections saying that this was an expression of faith in the leadership of the state by the people.
“It is not by magic that or by force or money that we were able to achieve this, but by simply working to meet the aspirations of our people, it is by consultation and by delivering on our promises to the people”, he said
The Governor said that though much has been accomplished in the state under his tenure, there was still need for improvement at both the local and state levels.
He added, “My prayer is that whoever succeeds me should not be like me but he should be a much better person than me because if we produce someone like me, it means we are not improving”.
While thanking the outgone Chairmen for the good works they have done in bringing good governance and dividends of democracy to the grassroots, the Governor enjoined their newly sworn in counterparts to continue in their strides to ensure the total transformation of their areas.
Governor Chime also enjoin politicians in the state especially those at the National to start early to attune themselves to the political realities in the state as they fFaffect the year 2014 saying it was time for them to start “oiling the machines” in preparation for future elections.
He said, “This is the time we urge you (NASS members) to start coming home, start relating with us and ensure that we work together. This is the time to start looking this way, we are still one, it is still one big happy family”.
In a vote of thanks, said on their behalf, by the Chairman of Enugu East Local Government Council, Prince Cornelius Nnaji, the newly elected Chairman pledged to follow the Governor’s vision and footsteps towards the total transformation of the state.
The event was attended by many important political figures from the state including the former President of the Senate, Chief Ken Nnamani and all the members of the National Assembly from the state except Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu.
