By Uzoh Ugwueze, Enugu
Ahead of the 2019 general elections, the All Progressives Congress, (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party, (PDP) are set for an epic political battle.
This is as the PDP has dismissed the rally held in Udi Local Government Area over the weekend, insisting that those in attendance were rented from different places.
The last time such political battle was witnessed in Enugu was in 2003, when the All Nigeria Peoples Party, (ANPP), fielded Ambassador Fidel Ayogu against incumbent, then Governor Chimaroke Nnamani.
It was a bloody battle on the election day, especially in Igbo-Eze North Council Area, Ayogu’s country home, where bullets rained.
Thereafter, Enugu turned into a one-party state, with all the major political actors pitching their tents with the PDP.
However, with the recent political developments in the state, it is certain that there would be a contest during the 2019 general elections.
Apart from some former politial office holders in the State who had since joined the APC, the latest defection of immediate past governor of the state, Barr. Sullivan Chime, s a major indication that Enugu may no longer go into elections as a one-party State.
This is more so, with Chime’s declaration that Enugu would be handed over to the APC in 2019.
To drive home his point, the ex-governor drew a mammoth crowd as he officially registered as a member of the APC last Saturday.
At the event, he maintained that their was no other option than the APC, adding that the large crowd bore eloquent testimony to the fact that Enugu was indeed now an APC state.
But in less than 48 hours after that event, Chime’s kinsmen thronged Enugu in their numbers, where they disowned him, alongside his party, the APC.
The Udi indigenes, accompanied by the members representing Udi/Ezeagu Federal Constituency, Hon. Dennis Amadi, the Transition Council Chairman of Udi, Mr. Hyacinth Ngwu, as well as the PDP chairman in the council, said Chime was on his own in the APC.
While taking their turns to speak, they said the crowd at Chime’s rally was rented from other council areas in Enugu and other neighbouring states.
While presenting the position of the people to Governor Ugwuanyi and the Deputy Senate President, Chief Ike Ekweremadu, the President of Udi Consultative Assembly, Chief Eric Chime declared that Udi was not a push-over in Enugu politics.
“We decided to come here as a team- complete team; the entire clan are here; we are here to tell the governor that we are with him.
“Our brother said he joined APC to show us the way; but we, Udi people gave him support for eight years, yet he did nothing for us; is it now that he is out of government that he will show us the way?
“You can see all of us here, including all the traditional rulers in Udi; we came with one message- we supported you before, we will keep supporting you and Udi will support you in 2019. Udi is not for APC”, he declared.
In a remark, the Deputy Senate President, Chief Ike Ekweramadu, described Chime as an inexperienced politician, urged his people to keep supporting Ugwuanyi.
“Chime has no sufficient experience in politics; that is his problem; there are about 60 APC senators, but not one of them came to his rally”, he said.
While recalling that past governors in the state who defected to other parties did not succeed, Ekweremadu said Chime would not recover from his defection to the APC.
“We are working together, whether PDP has crisis or not; if we resolve the problem we will tell you; if we don’t resolve it, we will tell you; The important thing is that in 2019, Ugwuanyi will return as governor”, he further stated.