The conspiracy against Enugu state: Setting the records straight on the Chukwuma Utazi connection

BY SALEM EZEORAH

Our attention has been drawn to an attention-seeking specious and tendentious article by a pseudo named Goodwin Edeh, who may share so many things in common with a former SSG from Nsukka LGA, a former state party chairman and other faceless Ebeano renegades; who will rather be kings in hell than servants in heaven. We consider this article as the last kick of a dying horse; signalling despair and defeat, even before the electoral contest commences.

This article shouldn’t deserve a response but to save the innocent reading public from being hoodwinked into believing falsehoods masquerading as truths; this article dripping with invectives, tirades and full of abuses depicts the sorry state of the mind of the masked writer and the camp he represents.

This bothers on the fact that the campaign machine of Hon. Barr. Chijioke Edeoga is slowly but steadily gaining traction and mileage.

This is the same aspirant that sometime last year, was pilloried for making an honest donation of N50,000 in a Catholic Church at Nike, while other wealthy aspirants, so to say, were doling out millions. Today, like Obama at the onset of his presidential nomination campaigns, Chijioke was rated as an underdog, but alas, many who have taken note of his character, competence and untainted records have decided to buy into his humble campaign for an opportunity to continue with the good works of Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, and traducers and political rivals are afraid and scared-stiff of the overwhelming inroads he is making presently with the Enugu state electorate, ahead of the coming governorship primary next week.

Instead of taking available political space to ply their trade, the fake writer and cohorts mirroring the fear and confusion in their camp, of imminent defeat that has become their fate, have chosen to engage in a campaign of calumny and character assassinations, and in the process, demonizing every other politician they feel stand on their way from accomplishing their evil plots. This alone is a sure signal that this political camp is already exhausted with nothing left but mudslinging. The lot deserves nothing but pity.

Coming to the plank of the political argument of Senator Chukwuka Utazi which the writer and cohorts laboured to contradict without success, it is important that truth be told, without slipping into falsehood. Senator Utazi was emphatic on the injustices done to the Nsukka Cultural Zone during the military administration. A case in point is the conspiracy that ensured that Nsukka Urban Area that should have been divided into three or more local government areas, like her counterparts elsewhere, but regrettably up till today, has remained undivided, notwithstanding its population and size.

In the case of electoral constituencies, after the creation of Ebonyi state and its exit in 1996, the present Enugu state as presently constituted was left with the old Enugu and Nsukka Zones. Notwithstanding the population and size of the Nsukka Zone, the smaller Enugu Zone was divided into two: Enugu East and Enugu West senatorial districts with five federal constituencies and 16 state house of assembly constituencies.

Nsukka Zone on the other hand was left with a senatorial district, three federal constituencies and eight state house of assembly constituencies. This was aided and abetted by a former governor and a federal minister that represented Enugu state in late Abacha’s federal executive council.

Elsewhere like in Anambra state, with the same two senatorial districts, like Enugu state; on creation in 1991, and that is, Awka and Onitsha, instead of unjustly dividing one senatorial district into two (as was the case in Enugu state), and leaving the other senatorial district intact, the then federal minister that represented Anambra state in the Abacha federal executive council made sure that a new central senatorial district was carved out of Awka and Onitsha senatorial districts. That way today, no one senatorial district is seen and heard to be complaining in Anambra state.

The same happened in Abia state. But that is not the case in Enugu state.

Because of this lopsided and unfair delimitation of constituencies, the old Enugu Zone has taken two turns of 16 years in the governorship of Enugu state, with Enugu North senatorial district on their 7th year, leading to their 8th year as the occupant of the Lion Building. With all the lopsidedness against Enugu North senatorial district, which surprisingly no one is contesting, Enugu North senatorial district has only asked to be allowed to do another two terms of eight years, so as to come to par with the old Enugu Zone that has already done their own 16 years.

That guarantees that equality is equity.

That is what Senator Chukwuka Utazi, as the senator representing Enugu North senatorial district has called iri n’isuu–iri n’isuu — meaning 16-16 years for both old Enugu and old Nsukka Zones.

In a decent, brotherly and understanding clime, old Enugu Zone should be the one prodding and pushing the old Nsukka Zone to round up their own turn of 16 years. But what are we getting? It is name-calling, blackmail and sponsorship of mendacious articles against anyone demanding fair play and understanding in the spirit of brotherhood and oneness. Nsukka Zone pressured to flow with the rotation argument of governorship along with the three existing senatorial districts, abandoned their demand and jointly signed a widely advertised memorandum of understanding accepting the rotation in favour of the Enugu East senatorial district.

What is curious and embarrassing is that an over-ambitious denizen from the same Enugu West senatorial district that handed over to the present Enugu North senatorial district in 2015 is desperately up in arms, trying to supplant Enugu East senatorial district in order to become governor come 2023.

Stopping at nothing in their unbridled and inordinate ambition to pull wool over the eyes of discerning Enugu state electorate, all sorts of articles, like this replied one in question, are spewed to cause disaffection between Enugu North and Enugu East senatorial districts, with a view to profiting from any likely confusion that may break out. But alas! They have failed woefully.

Awusa amamar’ anor’ unya’.

Labelling Senator Chukwuka Utazi, Chief Chris Offor and Chief Okey Ezea, with the presumed offices, which this fake writer’s camp is angling for and desperately trying to sell Nsukka Zone to their masters and financiers in exchange for ephemeral political positions, is doomed to colossal failure and therefore is dead on arrival.

All said and done, in reality, it is the fake writer and his devilish co-travellers that are conspiring to cause disunity in Enugu state and throw spanners into the 2023 transition wheel of Enugu state, which His Excellency Rt Hon Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi has been managing with unequalled and unrivalled dexterity.

God will see him through to the shame of naysayers.

Ezeorah writes from Aku. He can be reached via [email protected]