Former Commissioner and former National Auditor of the People Democratic Party, PDP, Barr Ray Nnaji has picked holes in statements made recently by senator Ike Ekweremadu concerning the 2023 guber race in Enugu State.
Addressing a World Press Conference in Enugu yesterday, Nnaji accused the former Deputy Senate President of telling lies about the issue of zoning in the state. “He also told lies when he cliamed to have been the Campaign Coordinator of Former Governor, Dr. Chimaroke Nnamani.”
On the issue of zoning, all of us belong to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and we’re bound by the constitution of our party.
“The first section of the PDP Constitution (2017) makes it clear that everybody is subject to the provisions of the constitution subject to the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. That same section one says the provision of the constitution is binding on everybody.
“Section 7(3c) states that rotation of public offices is compulsory. It says that adhering to the policy of rotation and zoning of party and public elective offices in pursuance of the principles of equity, justice and fairness.
Ekweremadu is aware of this provision because he cannot pretend not to be aware. If not for any other thing, he’s a lawyer.
“The party put this in the Constitution to give room for fairness and equity.
“He also said that if anybody is challenging him to the fact that zoning was discussed anywhere in the state, the person should speak up. I want to tell him clearly that it is not true that zoning was never discussed anywhere in the state.
“It has been a convention that governorship position rotates among the three Senatorial Districts. And it has come to stay taking effect from 1999.
“The reference he was making about Jim Nwobodo, C. C. Onoh and Okwesilieze Nwodo having been governor of Enugu, that was the period zoning and rotation were never in existence.
“The issue of zoning started in 1999. Though, Chimaraoke Nnamani is not a product of zoning. But he started the issue of rotation. I knew quite well that at that point in time, he had the capacity to retain the governorship position in Nkanu(Enugu East) in 2007. But for the issue of equity, justice and fairness, he decided that the power should shift to another zone. The question then was between Enugu West and Enugu North which would take first.
“I was also meant to understand that there was a meeting Chimaraoke Nnamani called where the decision to shift the position to Enugu West was taken. Senator Collins Ndu, Ekweremadu and some others were in that meeting. It is not an issue that everybody must be in that meeting to take decision.
“Now that it has gone round, the question now is, are we going to allow it to be open or maintain the existing rotation? This thing is like a clock that must be allowed to continue to go clockwise.
“Enugu East that started the zoning has been out of power for 16 years and should take their turn immediately. Obviously after Enugu East, it will be the turn of Enugu West where Ekweremadu comes from.
“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.
“Obviously, the people of Enugu East are law-abiding and they’re 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.
“Obviously, the party is delaying because 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.
“On the statement that he was the campaign manager of Chimaraoke Nnamani, that is false too. This is because the campaign manager then was Chief Ugochukwu Agballah, the current APC state chairman. I am the one that appointed him when I was the local government chairman in 1997. He was the second vice chairman of our party then, UNCP. Then, Ekweremadu was not part of us. He was not even a founding member of the PDP. He was rather in APP then. Unless, he was referring to the second term of Chimaraoke which is also not true.
“I know that when he joined us later, he became very close to Chimaraoke. That was why he felt so bad that Chimaraoke didn’t endorse him instead of Sullivan Chime as his successor in 2007. That was also one of the reasons he fought Chimaraoke to a standstill even to a point of making sure that Chimaraoke did not win his Senatorial election when he went to PDC. Whereas if not Chimaraoke I don’t think Ekweremadu would have made the successes he made.”
