Ekweremadu's long battle with Chime: The intrigues, the sacrifices and the gains

In 2007, many thought he was going to run for the governorship, but Sena tor Ike Ekweremadu, Deputy Senate President, was only interested in re­turning to the Senate, and he returned. But towards the build-up to the 2011 elections, he was offered the ticket on a platter of gold by the then John Nwo do-led PDP leadership, following the po­litical war between Nwodo and Governor Sullivan Chime of Enugu State. Again, Ekweremadu turned it down and instead joined forces with Chime to fight Nwodo, even when he had no reason to fight Nwo do. In the end, they succeeded and Chime got a second term. However, rather than pay Ekweremadu back by supporting his ambition to return to the Senate in 2015, Chime was bent on scuttling it, until what appeared a divine intervention set­tled the matter in favour of Ekwerema du last Sunday. ISMAIL OMIPIDAN, who has been following the events, was in Enugu last Sunday to witness what could pass for the official coronation of Ekwer emadu, for another term in the Senate, beginning from June, 2015.

The general belief among most Africans, especially those who have abiding faith in God that 'a man's life is preordained and ruled by God,' played out in Enugu last Sunday, when after weeks of war monger­ing by his political adversaries, Senator Ike Ekweremadu was returned unopposed as the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Senato rial candidate, for Enugu West Zone, for the 2015 elections.

And like he acknowledged, it was the first time he would be returned unopposed, despite all the challenges.

Hear him: 'I have run several elections in the past, but this is the first time I am being returned unopposed in spite of all the chal lenges. Therefore, there is God in heaven. We have God who acts when everything seems impossible and he has shown that He is a true God and He will answer you when you call Him.'

The beginning
One clear year before the electioneering process began, Chime was the first to give an indication that he was prepared to do everything within his powers to ensure that Ekweremadu does not return to the Senate, when he declared that all the National As sembly members from the state, who had done two terms already, should give way for others.

In the governor's estimation, Saturday Sungathered, going to the National Assem bly from Enugu State, should be seen as a way of alleviating poverty in the state; as such it should be on a turn-by-turn basis, not minding the political pedigree and perfor mance of those concerned.

However, the governor by himself later gave himself away early this year, when he made it public that he too, was interested in becoming the Senator that would represent Enugu West Senatorial zone, by 2105.

He did not, however, fathom into the equation the fact that he had spent two terms as governor, and should instead give way for a neutral person, if indeed; it was for 'pov erty alleviation,' as he claimed. He did not also consider the fact his anointed candidate, for the governorship position, Hon. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, was in his third term at the Na­tional Assembly. All these, Saturday Sunfurther gathered made political observers, both from within and outside Enugu State, to conclude that Chime's target, was indeed Ekweremadu, and no one else.

Before the November 1, PDP Ward Congress
While Ekweremadu's supporters were agitated, urging their benefactor to go all out against Chime, considering his (Ekwer­emadu) robust relationship with the national leadership of the party in Abuja, and his ca pacity to pull the rug off Chime's feet, the Deputy Senate President, kept his cool, until Chime again overreached himself by sin glehandedly appointing another state party chairman, following the resignation of Vitta Abba, as the state chairman.

Although, Abba, had some health chal­lenges, Saturday Sun, however, gathered that he resigned to pursue his aspiration to represent Nsukka/Igboeze South constitu­ency, in the House of Representatives, when it became clear that the governor was un willing to support him, after he had earlier supported the emergence of Hon. Ifeanyi Ugwuani as the consensus governorship candidate, in line with Chime's wishes.

Abba's resignation, however, created a window of opportunity for those opposed to the governor's way of running the party, as the Deputy Chairman, Elder David Ajah, who until then, had been relegated to the background, took the fight to the gover­nor's camp, insisting that he was the most qualified to assume the position of the acting State Chairman of the party, and not the gov ernor's appointee, who was Ikeje Asogwa, a public servant and General Manager of the state Housing Development Corporation .

And because Ajah was sympathetic to Senator Ekweremadu's group, considering the fact that both have all along been side lined by Chime and Abba in running the affairs of the party since the inception of the Chime administration, it was easy for the two groups to work together, a relation ship that eventually paid off, as the party headquarters in Abuja, failed to recognise Chime's appointee as the state party chair man.

The November 1, ward congress
In spite of the fact that he had lost out, based on the party's decision not to recog­nise his appointee, Chime again tried to play a fast one on the day of the congress. Al though, the congress held, Chime got only one, out of the five member Enugu ward Congress Electoral panel to his side. But that again did not work, as the panel submit ted its result to the national headquarters of the party in Abuja, while Governor Chime and his camp insisted that there was no con gress.

With the outcome of the November 1 congress, it meant that the Ekweremadu's group was now in effective control of the state party structure. And in the PDP, any­one in control of the party structure, owns everything, and as such, could do and undo. But not Ekweremadu, he is amenable to dia logue, and he made himself available when President Goodluck Jonathan intervened.

However, rather than abide by the terms of the dialogue, Chime's camp approached the court in Enugu, with a view to deal an­other fatal blow on Ekweremadu and his camp.

This, prompted three persons, namely; Chinenye Orji, Cletus Akalusi and Orji C. Orji on behalf of themselves and other del­egates elected at the November 1 ward con gress in Enugu State, to file a suit at a Fed eral High Court, Abuja.

In the suit, they were demanding, among other things, that nobody, either by them­selves or their agents, should tamper with the result of the congress in the state. And in the end, the court ruled in their favour, as it upheld that the ward congress actually took place in the state on November 1.

Finally, Chime caved in
Faced with the fact that defeat was staring him in the face, Chime last week, barely four days to the last Sunday's contest, formally announced his withdrawal from the race, just as he urged the stakeholders to go all out and give the Deputy Senate President, the required support.

Following Chime's withdrawal from the race, last Sunday's election became a mere formality, as Senator Ekweremadu was re turned unopposed with 294 valid votes cast by delegates from all the five local govern ment areas in the senatorial zone.

The Returning Officer, Mr. Innocent Agbo, declared Senator Ekweremadu as winner after affirmative votes by delegates at Awgu Local Government where many PDP faithful had converged to witness the carnival-like exercise.

Ekweremadu reacts
In his acceptance speech, an elated Ek­weremadu, for the first time since the battle began, publicly endorsed the candidature of Hon. Ugwuanyi from Enugu North, for the governorship ticket, which primary election would hold the next day. He further dis closed that all the party leaders in the state have resolved to back him in line with the leaders' desire to ensure 'peace and justice for all the people of the state.'

Saturday Sun gathered that the public endorsement was significant because Ekw eremadu and his camp alone, could truncate the ambition of the governorship candidate, since they are the ones in charge, a fact Ek weremadu himself confirmed while mak ing the acceptance speech, when he said: 'I would like to thank our brother, Engr. Anayo Onwuegbu who is also from Enugu West like the Governor. He is indeed a gentle man, because we are making peace in Enugu State and we want peace in Enugu State, he too like the governor has decided to sacri fice his gubernatorial ambition so that we can have peace in Enugu State. I will have to confess that we have both the delegates and the strength to deliver Onwuegbu as the governor, but because we want equity in our state, because we want justice and peace in our state, everybody is making sacrifices.'

Regretting the avoidable political battle that culminated in last Sunday's election, the Deputy Senate President further said: 'It pained me when Satan and temptation came between us. We thank God we were able to resolve our differences. We started so well and by the grace of God, we are going to end very well.' The Sun