Enugu PDP ‘not divided’ by consensus candidate

The Enugu state chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has dismissed rumours of a rift in the party over the endorsement of Honourable Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi as its consensus candidate for the state’s 2015 gubernatorial election.

The party, which said this on Tuesday in a statement released to NAN by Okey Eze, its publicity secretary, maintained that the process that led to Ugwuanyi’s emergence was democratic.

“The PDP in Enugu is as strong and united, as it has been since the inception of the Sullivan Chime administration,” the statement read.

“The party is even stronger and more united now that we have a consensus gubernatorial candidate who was chosen through a very smooth, transparent and democratic process.

“It is the first time such a thing is happening in the history of the state. Anyone saying the party is in disarray is clearly being mischievous.”

The statement further described media reports claiming that the party was in disarray over Ugwuanyi’s sole candidature as a calculated attempt to deceive the public.

The party said the reports were the handiwork of mischief makers who were determined to undermine its integrity for selfish reasons.

On the absence of some leaders of the party at the caucus meeting, it explained that some of them sought permission to attend to pressing official and personal engagements.

“Senator Ike Ekweremadu, former Senators Jim Nwobodo, Ken  Nnamani, and Fidelis Okoro as well as Chief Dubem Onyia had all sought permission to be excused  from the meeting due to  pressing official and personal engagements but  pledged to abide by the decisions reached there,” it said.

“Members of the national assembly from the state attended various senatorial and caucus meetings endorsing the lawmaker as the consensus candidate.”

The party also debunked reports that Governor Sullivan Chime imposed the candidate on the party, saying that Chime merely convened the meeting and allowed the people to deliberate and make their choice.

However, it confirmed that the governor did not disclose the purpose of the meeting in his invitation.

It explained that when he introduced the 2015 governorship race as the topic for discussion, all the people present agreed to deliberate on it.

“The governor allowed everyone to express his views on the matter and, at a time, offered to allow members of the caucus to go home and return at a later date.

“But after extensive deliberations, the other aspirants stepped down for Ugwuanyi and two of the aspirants, Ambassador Fidel Ayogu and Chief Okechukwu Itanyi, moved and seconded the motion for his endorsement.”

Chime had reportedly told the party members that he would not dishonour the zoning arrangement which fell on the Nsukka zone for the governorship in 2015.

Chimaroke Nnamani, the immediate past governor of the state, hails from Nkanu zone, while Chime hails from Enugu Zone, meaning the two two other zones had been represented over a period of two terms each.