Enugu 2015: The debacle of parallel leadership. THE gloom of the Governor Sullivan Chime led faction of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP in Enugu State was compounded on Monday after a Federal High Court sitting in Abuja upheld the ward congresses of the party held on November 1. More than 400 kilometers away in Enugu the same Monday, the camp was further deflated by the decision of an Enugu judge to withdraw from a case where the Chime camp was expecting a counter judgment from that in Abuja. The Chime faction lost out after its members boycotted the congress and the faction is now in contemplation whether to remain and fight within the PDP or to move out to another party and express its political prowess. A move towards the All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA was said to be in contemplation but allegations of bad faith between both sides following an aborted transaction in 2011 when Governor Chime faced similar troubles is now said to be hindering progress in that direction. Resignation of erstwhile chairman *Chime: Losing out Governor Chime had, however, earlier dismissed such speculations that he would leave the PDP for another political party. The governor, who had held a firm grip on the structure of the PDP for most of his stay in power, only recently saw the rug pulled from his feet after the resignation of the erstwhile chairman of the state chapter of the party, Vita Abba. An attempt by the governor to bypass the deputy chairman, Elder David Aja and immediately appoint Ikeje Asogwa from outside the executive as acting chairman or substantive chairman was rejected by the National Working Committee, NWC. Chime’s objection to Aja was understood to be because of the latter’s relationship to Senator Ike Ekweremadu, the deputy president of the Senate. Every effort by Chime to project Asogwa as acting chairman was rejected by the NWC and Aja as the erstwhile deputy chairman projected himself as the acting chairman of the party. It was in that situation that Aja conducted the November 1 congress that was boycotted by the Chime tendency in the party. The ward congress was characterised by several intrigues including the last minute replacement of Austine Opara in the congress committee by another person recommended by a multi billionaire who was allegedly planted to carry out the instructions to jeopardise the interest of Senator Ekweremadu. In the end, the man was overwhelmed by the failure of the Chime faction to get the congress materials and the preponderance of other members of the committee saw to it that his alleged intentions were not realised. The Ekweremadu led group was also quick to give legal cover to their success in the ward congresses as they were able to get a Federal High Court in Abuja presided over by Justice A.F.A Ademola, to grant an against the PDP and its national chairman, national secretary and the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC from “taking any step or receiving and acting on any purported report or list of candidates or persons purporting to be the list of elected delegates at the ward congress held in Enugu state on November 1, from any person or persons other than the Electoral Committee as constituted.” The Asogwa-led faction has, however, not relented and first obtained an injunction restraining Aja from parading himself as the acting state chairman of the party. In its ruling on a suit filed by one Charles Okafor challenging the validity of the congress, the Enugu High Court presided over by the Chief Judge of the State, Justice Innocent Umezuluike, also ordered an accelerated hearing of the substantive suit, citing the urgency of the matter. But the Aja recognized leadership further asserted authority of his leadership when it again, successfully conducted the November 8 special local government congresses of the party to elect national delegates for the presidential primary election. The exercise witnessed the emergence of 17 ad-hoc delegates from the 17 Local Government Areas of the state. Ekweremadu: Taking Charge A day after the LGA congress, Senator Ekweremadu met with the three delegates elected from each of the 260 wards and dismissed insinuations of an annulment of their mandates. “I came to congratulate these delegates you are seeing here because they are going to decide the fate of the people going to the House of Assembly, House of Representatives and the senate. They will determine who will be their candidate for Enugu- West senatorial zone.” “They are the only people that can cancel elections and nobody else. The appeal decided that the congresses that took place in Enugu were perfect and unassailable. So they recommended to the PDP to uphold the congresses that held on November 1.” The Asogwa-led faction had as at last week were expectant of a possible cancellation of the ward congress of November 1. But the NWC of the party only cancelled ward congress in Lagos,Oyo and Cross-River. The decision of the party to incline itself towards the Aja/ Ekweremadu faction of the party has inevitably put the earlier decision to project Rep. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi as consensus gubernatorial candidate in jeopardy. Though generally liked, Ugwuanyi has not as much come out to firmly identify himself with the Ekweremadu tendency putting himself out of touch with the men and women that are likely to determine who flies the gubernatorial flag of the party. Given the quick decision of Senator Ayogu Eze to combine forces with the Aja faction, the prospect of people like Eze cooking for Ugwuanyi to come and eat would be very unlikely. It is as such not surprising that the permutations in Enugu at all levels have been altered. (source BBN).
Posted on: Wed, 26 Nov 2014 20:43:35 +0000