What hitherto appeared a mere pronouncement aimed at intimidating some people have now assumed a mean policy that only the heavens can stop. It is now a do-or-die affair between Governor Chime and National Assembly members from Enugu State who are ambitious to seek re-election. When on 4th January 2014 at the swearing-in ceremony of the 17 local government chairmen Chime openly admonished the legislators who he labeled “brothers in the diaspora”, to start coming home having benefitted from the people and also to give way for others to have their turn of having their poverty alleviated, keen observers concluded that it was no longer mere political talk. To publicly ridicule these men most of whom have the unalloyed support of their people smacks off drawn battle line. The immediate effect of that pronouncement was clear polarization of the ruling PDP in the state. The party officials from ward to state were made to choose who to serve. The council chairmen were made to make their appointments on the basis of perceived loyalty. The state boards of parastatal and agencies were dissolved and being reconstituted in the most lopsided manner just to sieve out the apparent opponents. The traditional rulers with a view to retaining their staffs of office have since been hoodwinked into becoming more partisan than the party carrying members. Dissident ones who were seen to be associating with the federal lawmakers are faced with suspension. Even the elected councilorship are not spared as there are numbers who are currently on suspension for just being identified with the Abuja politicians. When recently Chimaroke Nnamani declared his interest to return to the PDP heavens were let loose. The state party chairman, Vita Abba, issued a statement describing Nnamani as a liability on the party and his ambition a still birth. But Nnamani would not be deterred as he went ahead to actualize his dream and of course, the party ward chairman who re-registered him till today is suspended alongside other officials being suspected of ‘complicity’ in Nnamani’s readmission.
The battle took a dramatic turn last week at the stakeholders’ meeting at Chime’s instance where he reportedly announced that it was a concluded matter for the lawmakers not to seek re-election as insistence could be unpalatable. Ken Nnamani was there also to support Chime though Ekweremadu and Gilbert Nnaji were the only National Assembly members absent. Chime’s major preoccupation now is his business of arming unsuspecting citizens and residents with rumors that with the emergence of Muazu, Chimaroke Nnamani had been boasting of becoming relevant again to the point of likely taking full control of the party in the state. This was merely on account of both men serving as governors at the same time under Obasanjo. By his orchestrations, this fabrication must be subtly packaged and delivered to Muazu as blackmail. Another insinuation was that lately, the deputy senate president Ike Ekweremadu’s profile and influence in the party have being on the rise, especially having served as the secretary of the planning committee in the very last PDP special convention; as such he had been bragging of being close to the party hierarchy which would make it easy for him to secure from above his ticket to return to the senate thereby making it impossible for Chime to realize his senatorial ambition come 2015.
And whereas Chime apparently controls both the government and party machinery in the state, Ekweremadu is well connected with the grassroots and by extension the electorates which cut across party lines. Of course among others, he enjoys the unflinching support and cooperation of his colleagues in National Assembly and a sizeable number of state government functionaries. There is no household in Enugu State that does not have at least a beneficiary of Ekweremadu.
The obvious implication therefore is that it is one thing using the so-called recognized party structure to nominate a candidate and then an entirely different ball game defeating the opposition which lays credence to Muazu’s wise admonition that it is only popular and acceptable candidates that can proudly fly the party flags and coast home victory.
It is now a battle between the people who are expected to use the ballot to effect whatever desired change and the thin cabal as majority of the people allege that it is the ambition of Ifeoma Nwobodo, Chime’s chief of staff, that has been responsible for this battle. Nwobodo is interested in going to the senate to take over from Senator Gilbert Nnaji. While nobody is against her ambition what has been receiving round condemnations is the desperation with-which she goes about it. It is not in doubt that she barely allowed Nnaji to be inaugurated before launching her onslaught targeted at frustrating him so as to have a smooth ride. Apart from using state apparatus to hood winking the six council chairmen to declare Nnaji as persona non grata in their domains, she used them to sabotage the public hearing on constitution amendment organized by Nnaji for the people of his senatorial zone. This wicked act almost cost the Divisional Police Officer of Agbani his job after removal from office. CSP Simeon Ihuaenyi allegedly acting on orders from above led a team of police men to chase the seated crowd away from the venue. Just a click of Ifeoma Nwobodo on any internet search engine would reveal further details on this show of shame. Although the matter was stood down following Nwobodo’s admission of guilt and offer to reorganize the scuttled event and also the police high command intervention in reprimanding the corrupt officer, arrangement is on now to reopen the investigation.
Accusing fingers are equally being pointed to Ifeoma Nwobodo for the manner Chime’s estranged wife, Clara was made to lose her marriage. In fact most women were shedding tears watching Nwobodo playing Clara’s role at the last International Women’s day celebration. Nwobodo is such a powerful person in the state that whoever crosses her part or opposes her political ambition would have a deep scar for such. Numerous political appointees have lost their positions sequel to their unyielding stances to her ambition or potentials to likely take the shine off her. Her senatorial aspiration is the only job that earns huge income and attention presently in the state. Many organizations and individuals have made series of requests for official information with a view to challenging her alleged abuse of office, relying on the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act.
The lingering crisis in the Enugu State council of journalists is evidently her creation as she has further divided the union into two and adopted a faction for patronage and empowerment of various kind. Another factor that works against her is her alleged series of antagonism against the deputy governor Sunday Onyebuchi. The recent invasion and demolition of Onyebuchi’s poultry farm was directly traced to her. Her fears that Onyebuchi as the highest political office holder in Nkanu land could diminish her have since triggered off all manner of persecution aimed at caging the man. One author recently wrote that “My heart is troubled the more because Nkanu land has remained her major prey. She has never hidden her deep hatred for the land where she is supposedly married to. A woman whose highest public service experience was as accounts clerk suddenly found herself in an exalted position that was supposed to overwhelm her, but just because she is on a mission to destroy a nation, she has continued to demonstrate that she is rather too big for the office. She does not pretend about her phobia for all the opinion leaders of Nkanu. A clear case in point is the present dehumanizing working condition of the deputy governor Sunday Onyebuchi who since assumption of office has been operating from his private residence. This same woman who pointedly told the governor’s wife that she would continually regret her marriage to Chime has deliberately rendered Onyebuchi powerless and irrelevant on the account of his Nkanu origin simply. It was even worse when he was made the acting governor during-which his powers were arbitrarily usurped by her to the point that when he was supposed to be extending largesse to the citizens the reverse was the case just because he is an Nkanu man. A visit to Nara town of the deputy governor will show a direct opposite of a road.
She has penchant for using state apparatus to weaken the positions of any person from Nkanu that she perceives to be tilting towards socio-political relevance”.
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Okey Nnamani, Abuja
