Ozioma Ubabukoh writes on the struggle for the Peoples Democratic Party’s governorship ticket in Enugu State and notes that the battle is not over for the state Governor, Mr. Sullivan Chime
Had the Federal High Court in Abuja not vacated its ex parte order, which initially barred the Peoples Democratic Party from fielding Governor Sullivan Chime of Enugu State, as its governorship candidate, in April elections, he probably would have sought refuge in another party, as was widely speculated. If Chime had failed to pick the ticket on another platform at the final date of substitution of candidates, he would probably be left with no choice than prepare his farewell notes in anticipation of his departure from the Enugu State Government House on May 29.
But his candidature was finally reaffirmed. While his supporters celebrated, others heaved a sigh of relief.
Many people of the state also said they would not have been surprised to have been told that the All Progressive Grand Alliance had picked Chime as its governorship candidate in the state, if the court ruling had not been in his favour.
One wouldn’t have ruled this out. Taking into cognisance the fact that the governor exhibited some sense of calmness while the saga lasted and coupled with the growing speculation in the state that he had sealed a ‘deal’ with APGA and its ‘stand-in’ governorship candidate, Obinna Obiegue.
The ‘deal’, THE PUNCH gathered, involved Chime being handed the ticket at the eleventh hour should the court fail to vacate the ex parte order barring the PDP from fielding him as its governorship candidate.
So where could this deal have left APGA? More so Chime could probably defect to the PDP if he wins on the APGA ticket. The APGA, according to its Chairman in Enugu, Chief Okechukwu Nkoloagu, does not even wish for this, “especially now that it seeks to dominate the South-East zone, like what the Action Congress of Nigeria is to the South-West and what the Congress for Progressive Change is to the North.”
Like the Lilliputian, who was determined to embark on Gulliver’s Travel and get to the mountain top unscathed, Obiegue said before the court ruling that, “Nobody can stop me. I will run and APGA will this time around win in Enugu. Those tricks employed in the 2003 and 2007 polls won’t work again.”
He said, “I never discussed with him (Chime) about selling the ticket and his alleged entry into APGA. I have never seen an emissary from him so I find it difficult to understand where that is coming from.
“I don’t see anything that will stop me from contesting this election. I am for election and I am sure we are going to win this election. The issue of stepping down is not one I can consider. Moreover, the governor does not happen to be a member of APGA, so I don’t see him coming to ask for the ticket.
“But even if he does that, I do not see myself conceding the governorship ticket to him. I have to run with that ticket and I am not conceding it to anybody.”
On the story of the offer of money, Obiegue said, “I don’t want to discuss that issue. I am not for sale.”
On the initial omission of Obiegue’s name from the list of governorship candidates published by the Independent National Electoral Commission, Nkoloagu said, “When I heard, I went to the Resident Electoral Commissioner in the state and he referred the matter to the INEC legal officer in Enugu, where it was discovered that there was a mix-up; and by the next morning they pasted it.
He, however, expressed concern that the list should not have been pasted when INEC discovered that it was incomplete.
“Having pasted it, the news went to the media and it affected us. Now we have been sending out announcements to tell our supporters that there is no cause for alarm,” Nkoloagu noted.
Confirming Nkoloagu’s statement, the REC, Mr. Josiah Uwazuruonye, said, “It was an error. The list containing the APGA candidate was mistakenly sent to Abia State . When we discovered it, we immediately asked those in Abia to send back the particulars, which we have received.”
As the APGA issue raged, feelers from the Enugu PDP loyal Chime indicated that it would do all it could to ensure that the governor got the governorship ticket.
To win the battle, it had to conquer, either legally or by the wits, the faction loyal to the immediate past PDP national chairman, Dr. Okwesilieze Nwodo, then outdo Onwuegbu, which it eventually did.
The wish of Chime’s faction was that since the issue of governorship candidates was subjudice, the party would not comment further on the matter, even in the face of countless accusations against it.
The Enugu PDP Chairman loyal to Chime, Mr. Vita Abba, recollected, “Since there was no record indicating that the national leadership of our party directly or indirectly accepted or submitted any other name to INEC apart from Governor Sullivan Chime, it is therefore an act of irresponsibility for any member of the party or a group of individuals to lay false claim to candidates of the party and resort to cheap blackmails to further their desperation.
“It is also on record that Ogbonna is a member of the opposition Labour Party in Enugu State and is expected to join his associate and the governorship candidate of the party, Mr. Okey Ezea, the moment the truth over the authentic candidates of the PDP is revealed.”
He added, “The party, therefore, wishes to remind Ogbonna and his dissident group of the need to watch their tongues and take judicious note of the level of public ridicule and the consequences of their utterances on the integrity of the party and the Presidency, which we hold very dear.”
Ogbonna would, however, not respond. He once said, “Let the court ruling come and we shall see who laughs last.”
The Senior Special Assistant on Media to the Enugu State governor, Mr. Chukwudi Achife, during the inauguration of Chime’s campaign, never agreed with Ogbonna’s views. For Achife, “Chime will run on the platform of PDP and no litigation or mischief after the election would even succeed against him. Nobody can push him out.”
According to him, “Chime’s case is one of envy and that is why you find all these intrigues and gimmicks. Those trying to push him out are very scared of his popularity. They know they can’t beat him in an election, so their best bet is to frustrate him until he fails to contest on any platform.”
On Chime’s chances in the April elections, Achife said, “It is very clear that he (Chime) is very popular in Enugu State and that is why the people want to elect him so that he can finish the good work he started.
The state Chairman of the Labour Party, Mr. Afam Ani, however, said, “It is not a matter of Chime getting the PDP ticket. It is rather the need for a change. Most of the party chairmen who took part in endorsing him were fake and do not even have functional offices and genuine membership of the parties they claim to belong.”
“You all know me to be the chairman of National Democratic Party before I joined Labour Party. Yes, we were part of the kangaroo adoption at Michael Okpara Square in October 2010 under NDP. Now, I am in Labour Party and LP was not part of the adoption process that happened in Okpara Square .”
So, is Achife a prophet, or he was only being philosophical? Shortly after his comments, a locally-made bomb was found at the campaign ground just before the PDP governorship campaign commenced.
Having confirmed that the bomb was recovered at the venue of the PDP rally, the state Commissioner of Police, Mr. Job Doma, said “It was a locally-made bomb buried under the VIP pavilion meant for the governor and other dignitaries. But thank God our vigilant men observed it before it could cause any harm.”
The state chapter of the Conference of Nigeria Political Parties, in its reaction, described the incident as shocking and unprecedented.
It stated that it could only have been the handiwork of “desperate, diabolical and reprehensible” political elements that were not only out to kill but to cause massive confusion and upheaval in the state.
The state Chairman of the body, Mr Adonys Igwe, further described the attack as outrageous and inimical to the tenets of orderly democratic activities, adding that it was clear that the attempt on the governor’s life could only have been politically motivated.
While distancing members of his association from the plot, Igwe insisted that it must have been masterminded by desperate opposition figures in the state.
He said, “The CNPP condemns the recent attempt on the life of governor Sullivan Chime, his wife and many political figures, as well as innocent people who had gathered to witness the inauguration of his campaign at the Okpara Square, Enugu.”
With all these, could Enugu State have become a theatre of the absurd? Or a state where a litany of woes has chosen to prevail? There was the Chime/Nwodo fight, which led to the latter’s ouster. So also was the Chime/Onwuegbu battle of wits, then the bomb. Which is next?
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