Former deputy President of the Senate, Sen. Ike Ekweremadu, wants to contest the governorship seat of Enugu in 2023 because he will not be politically relevant after eight years when it will be the turn of his zone to produce the governor, former National Auditor of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Ray Nnaji has disclosed.
The issue of whether there is a zoning arrangement for the rotation of the Enugu State governorship seat has recently dominated discussion in the state. While some said there is an arrangement, others said there is none.
Senator Ben Collins Ndu, had last week during a press conference brandished a document which he said minutes of a meeting held on the zoning in the state dated July 2013 where Sen Ekweremadu signed that Enugu governorship seat shall rotates among the three Senatorial Districts of the state, and that 2023 governorship seat should go to Enugu East Senatorial zone.
But speaking with 247ureports.com in an interview on Sunday, Nnaji, also a former Commissioner and local government chairman, regretted that Ekweremadu would throw caution to the wind and insisted that he would contest for the governorship seat even when the fathers of the state had agreed that the position should return to Enugu East Senatorial zone.
He said, “Ekweremadu’s argument on no zoning is because he believes quite well that after eight years, he would not be politically relevant to contest the position anymore. That’s why he wants to rock the boat by saying there’s no zoning principle.
“I will have to tell you that even if there is zoning, when the party comes out to announce where the position is going based on our constitution, it’s not going to foreclose other people who have interest. You can go and buy the form, enter the race. If you succeed, fine and good.
“I want to remind you that even when Sullivan was picked from the West, Chimaraoke’s deputy, Okechukwu Itanyi from the North also contested but lost.
“So, we’re not saying that Ekweremadu has no right to contest. But his chances of success will be reduced to the barest minimum if the party takes a position on where the ticket is going.”
Nnaji, who hails from Enugu East Senatorial District, however, stated that Enugu East people are law-abiding and were interested in listening to the party and wanting the party to say one thing or the other.
“It is not as if it is made open and free and fair contest, Ekweremadu will take it from us. No.
“We’re only waiting for the leader of the party who is the governor and the party leadership to say something about the zoning principle and where it is heading.”
He, however, blamed the political tension in the state to the party’s delay in announcing the zone to produce its governorship candidate. “I was expecting that by now the party would have come out to state its position on that. If the party says that, everybody will fall in line.”
