Although Enugu State politics has been dominated by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) since the inception of this democratic dispensation in 1999, close monitors of current happenings in the state are of the view that PDP will not have a smooth ride to government house in next year’s election.
The battle to occupy the government house popularly known as Lion Building in the state has never been more intense.
The three major political parties that have so far displayed serious commitment to defeating PDP at the forthcoming governorship election are the Labour Party (LP), All Progressive Congress (APC), and the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA).
Those flying the flags of the three parties in the election are Barrister Chidioke Edeoga (LP), Uche Nnaji (APC) and Frank Nweke Junior for APGA.
Apart from PDP’s seeming diminishing fortunes which has held sway in governance of the state for uninterrupted 21 years, the burning desire of the above mentioned political parties to dismantle it come 2023 has made the political environment more intriguing.
Besides, pundits believe that PDP’s inability to exhaustively resolve the agitations that arose from its gubernatorial primary puts the party in a tight spot.
As a fallout of this disagreement, Edeoga, a top contender at the PDP primaries, moved to the Labour Party after dumping PDP.
Followers of political happenings in the state since 1999 are of the view that Edeoga might be a hard nut to crack for the PDP because of the sympathy votes he is expected to get from Enugu East Senatorial Zone and some parts of Enugu East Senatorial Zone.
PDP, prior to its primaries, zoned the governorship slot to Enugu East Senatorial Zone and further micro-zoned it to Nkanu East where Edeoga hails from.
Edeoga hails from Isiuzo which was part of Enugu North Senatorial Zone before it was later pronounced part of Enugu East Senatorial Zone for political reasons. Since Isiuzo became part of the zone, there have been agitations against its marginalisation because other parts of Enugu East still see the people from the zone as Nsukka people.
Nsukka people, it was learnt, resisted the attempt to remove Isiuzo from their zone. So miffed at the sidelining of their siblings in the zone, Edeoga is projected to give PDP a tough battle riding on the anger over the refusal of PDP to zone the governorship seat to Isiuzo local government Area.
Also, sources disclosed that that some constituents of Enugu North Senatorial Zone are displeased with the fact that the incumbent governor, Hon Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi (who happens to be the party’s senatorial candidate); and deputy governorship candidate, are from Udenu which is one of the local governments in the zone.
It was also gathered that some of the hitherto PDP aspirants who were allegedly forced to withdraw from the race after obtaining party forms, are secretly offering sympathy support to Edeoga.
One more edge he has going into the polls is the current Obidient movement, a political awakening of sorts inspired by the Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi, who also has to dump PDP ahead of the party’s primaries.
Since the movement began, the South East is being pictured as one of the movement’s strong bases and is already being projected to have the same propensity as the Buhari political tsunami that swept the North in 2015.
But whether this movement evolves into a voting force is a matter of time. Edeoga has however vowed to dismantle PDP in 2023.
The former member of the house of Representatives, in his acceptance speech, thanked the delegates for voting for him and assured them that he will not take their support for granted.
Edoga thanked the chairman of the party in the state, Barrister Casmir Agbo who emerged candidate earlier before withdrawing for him which led to a fresh election.
“I will systematically dismantle the PDP in Enugu. I have the experience and capability to dismantle the PDP. I will tour the 260 political wards in Enugu State to create a labour presence,” he stated. However, the Labour Party has to deal with the notion of a divided party going into the polls as Chief Evaristus Nnaji is also laying claim to the candidacy of the party.
This manifested at a rally to front the 2023 presidential ambition of Mr Peter Obi tagged “Charity Begins at Home”, in the state.
Although party supporters kicked against the introduction of Nnaji as the party’s governorship candidate, the matter which is open to legal decision is still on.
The APC is also optimistic of victory in Enugu. The APC governorship candidate, Chief Uche Nnaji, as part of efforts to actualise the dream of occupying Lion Building come 2023, recently toured all the wards in Enugu State.
“We just concluded the ward tours and we were disappointed with what we saw around the state. We discovered that what we were crying about in the dilapidation of Enugu metropolis was even worse outside the capital,” Nnaji said.
He believes that with the poor performance of PDP, votes will swing APC’s way. However, the recent rumbling within his party is quite instructive.
Only last week, APC leaders in the state, led by former Senate President, Senator Ken Nnamani, called for the immediate removal of the Enugu State chairman of the party, Barr. Ugochukwu Agballah.
The leaders made the call in a petition submitted to the APC National Working Committee, last Tuesday, at the National Secretariat in Abuja.
The petition, which also called for the appointment of a caretaker chairman, said Agballah had dismantled the core Party structure and brought in his followers. Alongside Nnamani, the petition was signed by Mr. Geofrey Onyeama, Hon. Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sullivan. I. Chime, immediate past Governor of Enugu State, General JOJ Okoloagu, Board Member NDIC, Sen. Ayogu Eze, Board Member, NPA and former APC gubernatorial candidate Enugu State, Chief Osita Okechukwu, DG Voice of Nigeria, among others.
It remains to be seen what action the APC national secretariat takes at this point. But the message it sends to voters won’t be too assuring, pundits aver.
Also, the APC has struggled to make inroads in the South East. Although it succeeded with Ebonyi State after having Imo State, many watchers argue that the ruling party at the centre still remains a tough sell in the region, and the state.
More so, if the politics of Governor Ugwuanyi is anything to go by, most APC chieftains in the state have been at peace with him and by extension the PDP, which might blunt APC’s force in the state.
A former minister of Information, Frank Nweke, flagbearer of APGA, had in his acceptance speech said his major concern is the development of the state. He urged other aspirants to support the movement to take over Enugu State government affairs by 2023.
It will be interesting to see how he wins, considering that APGA isn’t as potent as it used to be in the region, more less the state. Articulate and full of ideas, Nweke would hope to leverage on his robust experience in and out of government.
He had served as chief of staff to Governor Chimaroke Nnamani and then in June 2003, he was appointed minister of Intergovernmental Affairs and Special Duties. He became minister for Intergovernmental Affairs, Special Duties and Youth Development and later was appointed minister of Information and National Orientation and then minister of Information and Communication in 2007.
Whether or not his party has the wherewithal to upstage PDP whilst battling for votes against the other platforms is another matter.
However, the PDP still seems the more dominant in the state. With the seeming inclusive politics of the governor and a state fully controlled by the party at ward and local governments levels, many analysts aver that the PDP still remains the party to beat.
The PDP candidate Mr Peter Mbah has promised to run an all-inclusive government. He made this known while holding reconciliatory meetings with governorship aspirants of the party and former aspirants for other elective offices from the Enugu North Senatorial Zone in the just concluded primary elections of the party held in the State.
But Mbah inherits the good and bad of an outgoing administration of the same party.
As the different parties continue to strategise ahead of the 2023 election, the question on the lips of many is, will the opposition change the tide of politics by dismantling the PDP? Perhaps posterity will provide the answers.
