As the struggle for the gubernatorial race of Enugu State in 2023 continues to gather strength , some Royal Fathers under the auspices of Awkunanaw Traditional Rulers Council, led by the Chairman of the council, HRH Igwe Dan Nnamani, on Tuesday, February 1, paid elder statesman and former Governor of old Anambra State, Sen. Jim Nwobodo (Anyanwụ), a visit in his Amechi home, to discuss issues around the 2023 governorship race, as well as confirm the authenticity of his reported stance by the media.
During this discussion, journalists were barred from getting the details of the meeting but at the end, in a press statement titled “My Position on Nkanu East Local Government Remains the Same”, signed by the elder statesman, Sen. Jim Nwobodo, and made available to the press, Jim stated that when a delegation of Traditional Rulers, including some of those in today’s meeting visited him in 2019 to discuss the issue of governorship, he advised that the incumbent governor had just been sworn in for his second term and it was too early to start discussing where his successor would come from and that when the time comes, the people of Nkanu should lobby the Governor and other relevant stakeholders, including the general voting public in Enugu to support an aspirant from Nkanu East.
When inquired whether the Traditional Rulers were there to seek his support on the Guber candidacy of candidates from Awkunanaw, he said they didn’t visit him solely to seek his support but to also confirm the authenticity of the media reports on his stance on issues around the governorship race.
Newsmen tried to get the response of some of the Royal fathers on why they visited Jim Nwobodo and whether they, as a group, were satisfied with the outcome of the visit but it was unsuccessful. However, one of them, HRH Eze Barr. Igwesi Igwesi, Eze Chinawaeze III of Obuoffia, who spoke to some of the journalists on phone said “The meeting was meant to be private but we don’t know how the press came in, although I’m not in support of the meeting being private in view of the issue to be discussed.”
Going further “We came to prove to the world and reassure Jim Nwobodo that he is too big for anyone to toy around with. We traditional rulers have our respect for him. He gave the WAWA man the image he wields today. Personally I am of the belief that If he says that a thing is his opinion, it should be respected. If he stands on Nkanu East, he shouldn’t be lampooned for that” he said.
While some candidates continue to make both open and clandestine declarations of their intention to run for Governor, two sons of Awkunanaw, Rt. Hon. Ofor Chukwuegbo from Amechi in Enugu South LG and Sir Chinyeaka Christian Ohaa from Obuoffia in Nkanu West LG are tipped to be Frontline candidates for the governorship race from the Awkunanaw bloc of Enugu East Senatorial Zone.
