By Prince Ejeh Josh Esq
Without sounding boisterously sadistic, it’s a common knowledge that the senator representing Enugu West Senatorial Zone and former PDP governorship aspirant, Mr. Ike Ekweremadu, did not withdrawal from the 2023 gubernatorial race in Enugu state in good faith. His episodic bereavement and wanton attacks on the state government, the party and the good people of Enugu state of fraudulently depriving him of his ambition gave him out. He didn’t retreat as a result of his inclination or commitment to the unity of Enugu state or because of the love he has for the good people of the state.
Far from his claim that his withdrawal was hinged on his desire to see a peaceful Enugu state subsist, the senator made his decision as a last resort having exhausted all efforts and pleas to different political parties, ranging from the All Progressive Grand Alliance, Labour Party, to the All Progressive Congress, APC, to be fielded as their 2023 governorship flagbearer to no avail. The news of Senator Ekweremadu’s despairing excursions to these political parties was deafening. We saw him junketing from one political goalpost to the other in a futile search for a lost kingdom. As far as Enugu people are concerned, Mr. Ekweremadu’s journey to the Lion Building was a future impossible tense, a lost kingdom and a battle lost from the beginning. So, the senator lacks the political and moral locus to make his claim.
For those celebrating the senator’s vanquished press statement as an act of courage, it’s supposed they glossed over the statement or read it without understanding and appreciating the weighty allegations and accusations of fraud he pelted on the governor and the PDP. One could have conceived those allegations of fraud, lack of performance and violence as petty and afterthoughts designed to save face after a heavy rain of political downfall springing from his defeat. I encourage readers to go back to that press release and carefully go through it in details. Such was riddled with booby traps, chameleonic explosives and landmines by a man playing victim of circumstances and conspiracy, yet claiming to be faithful and loyal to the PDP that has made him whatever he could boast of today. It’s not time to celebrate Ekweremadu’s retreat. He should purge himself of the inequity of accusing an innocent governor of railroading him and promptly apologize to him, the people of Enugu state and the PDP.
If Mr. Ekweremadu believed in the peace and unity of Enugu state as he claimed have, he could, in the first place, respected the popular wishes of the people by abiding and respecting the zoning establishment in the state. He couldn’t have nursed the ambition of throwing the people of Enugu state in the state of doldrums and chaos through his unconscionable and unjustifiable ambition. He could have supported Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi to search for a competent, qualified and 21st century innovative candidate in Enugu East Senatorial Zone whose turn it’s to produce the next governor. He could have prevailed on his extreme ambition and allow conscience and integrity to dictate his actions. Even when he knew that his gubernatorial ambition was imminently headed to the brick in the PDP the people having deserted him, he could have simply queued behind the people’s choice and pledge his commitment and loyalty to the people of the state and to the people’s governor instead of peregrinating from one party to the other even warranting the APC to throw pebbles at him.
Let’s briefly interrogate the misleading contents churned out in the press statement by the senator. Mr. Ekweremadu had alleged that over the past two years, his fundamental mission for forcibly declaring interest was “to change the narrative in the governance of our state and possibly inspire other states in the delivery of impressive governance…” That is quite interesting that the senator would want to change the narrative of Enugu state when he couldn’t make any significant outing and impact in Enugu West senatorial zone over the past 20 years as a high ranking senator and three time deputy president of the senate representing the district. One would wonder the kind of narrative he meant. We’d seen those that once promised to change the narrative of Nigeria in the recent past. It ended up to be a negative narrative. With the myriads of laudable performance and harvest of good governance of Governor Ugwuanyi in Enugu state, what else does the senator want to change? Take Enugu state backward to 13th century economic phase in the name of changing the narrative?
The much touted manifesto the senator had presented to the people of Enugu state tagged, “My Agenda for Enugu State: A Pathway to a New Enugu State” was, in all honesty, vague and rudderless when it was floated. No explanation as to how to drive their mission. The manifesto was bereft of content and consistently struggling with reality. I went through it like many others who complained of the emptiness of the illusory, heavily plagiarized academic calendar. It’s rib-tickling the senator noting that he would pay salaries and retirement benefits to civil servants and senior citizens. Then, the question is; what’s new about that? Governor Ugwuanyi has been consistent in paying salaries, allowances and pensions to workers in the state. He has made a huge impact in trying to clear gratuities which he inherited from previous administration. It’s on record that the previous administration stopped disbursing gratuities in 2009. However, when Governor Ugwuanyi came in, despite the glaring paucity of funds in the country, he earmarked 100 million Naira monthly for gratuities and he has been consistent with it in the most convenient manner.
It is curious to note that the senator had come up with nothing new in his article of mission statement. All that he replicated to do have been the focus of Governor Ugwuanyi’s administration. Critical infrastructure was prioritized. Education in the state was made an envy for other states. Employments were offered in massive quantity. The security in the state was the best in the entire Southeast and South-south zones. World financial institutions and economic establishments have described Enugu state under Ugwuanyi as one of the best in ease of business doing and business environmental friendly. More rural areas are being delineated and recreated into urban centres and ten of thousands of youths are embracing the agro-allied economic spectrum’s opportunities offered by the state. For the first time, the Ugwuanyi’s administration had insisted on smart education and tech-innovation in our academic system. This is a shift from the old order to a new way of thinking. So, what new is the senator bringing to Enugu state?
It’s amusing that the senator promised that he had aimed at establishing two industries per local government if he had won. This was how they promised of building two refineries, create 23,000,000 jobs each year, negotiate naira to dollar in equal strength and all we saw thereafter was a hoax. The senator kept mum on how he intended to drive to fruition those unreal promises. As a high ranking senator, one would have expected him to attract even a single industry to his constituency in his 20 years at the senate. Since he couldn’t do that, how did he intend to do the magic now? Nobody offers what s/he does not have. The era of oratorical manipulation is over. We’ve seen the government of Ugwuanyi attracting businesses down to the state. We’ve seen robust and dynamic policies paving ways for business growth and human capital prosperity in the state. We are all partakers of the good governance the government of Ugwuanyi has attracted.
Let me note this; the allegation that the good people of Enugu state conspired against the senator was a fabricated act of imagination to cover up failure. Nobody betrayed Mr. Ekweremadu as he alleged. Indeed, one would see his act of working against the popular aspiration of the people as a possible betrayal of the people. The inconvenient truth is that the senator has no plan for any transformation mission in the state. He only wanted to become and be addressed as, His Excellency the Governor of Enugu state and nothing more. Smart Ekweremadu! The table has turned, but he preferred to blame the governor and the people of Enugu state who resisted him.
Finally, Mr. Ekweremadu should always bear in mind that the collective interests of the people should prevail over interest of individuals. That’s what happened recently in Enugu state. The people spoke through the delegates. They wanted continuity of Ugwuanyi’s good governance and they voted for the best hand. Let me reiterate this; Enugu state under Ugwuanyi is peaceful. Mr. Ekweremadu alleging attacks on his supporters could be a makeup story to woo sympathy. But we’ve long come to term with this antics and it no longer appeals to the masses.
The governor has repeatedly warned his supporters to be law-abiding and resist unprovoked attempts to engage in any act of reprisals by opposition camp. Governor Ugwuanyi is a personification of peace and would not even trample on those God has delivered to his hands. Mr. Ekweremadu should show remorse and apologize to the peace-loving Governor, the good people of Enugu state and the PDP for the unfounded attacks against them as contained in his press statement. Genuine peace is only possible with sincerity. Unity is possible with a heart that’s devoid of resentment and embitterment. Time to heal and genuinely work for the greater good of the state.
