Oil industry player, Emperor Baywood Ibe, has faulted the proposed plan of former Deputy Senate President, Chief Ike Ekweremadu, to contest for governorship in Enugu State in 2023, urging him to quit the stage while the ovation is loudest.
His words: “I read an article about a meeting Chief Ekweremadu convened at an Enugu hotel and declared his intention to run for governorship in Enugu State in 2023, and went on to catalogue what he has done for the state.
“That was sour to me as an individual and a bit nauseating that Chief Ekweremadu is gloating about what he had done for Enugu State to warrant him to rule the state.
“I will urge Ekweremadu to quit while the ovation is loudest. He should know that grace taken too far could turn into disgrace. He has had God’s grace for long. He is not the messiah Enugu is waiting for now because he has held power for long. He has been in the Senate for over 20 years, rising to be become the deputy president. He was ex-chief of staff in Enugu State. I had long before now admonished him right in my house on what he is not doing for Enugu.
“But now, he wants to be governor, he is telling us how he wants to turn Enugu to Japan and the Asian Tigers. Why did he not use his power as a three-time Senate deputy president to turn around the fortunes of Enugu State as a prelude to what his trying to aspire to?
“I advised to allow people to grow, to aspire, politically, but he insisted on being in control, deciding who should aspire even for the smallest positions in Enugu West. He believes nobody from Old Agwu Division can be anything. That is moral bankruptcy.
“I was more appalled when he was talking about the youths. Over 12 years ago when I began campaigning and empowering youths in the Old Agwu, Chief Ekweremadu was not talking about the youths and even now until he found out that that might be a selling point. That is playing to the gallery.
“He, like the average politician, has found out too soon the place of the youths in the system and is now wooing them, playing on their psyche and making them to believe he is pro-youths. All of them propagating youth agenda at this point in time are very deceitful.”
