New Telegraph

2023: Zoning debate reverberates in Enugu PDP

 

ANAYO EZUGWU writes on the zoning arrangement debate that is tearing the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Enugu State apart ahead of the 2023 governorship election

 

 

 

Although the next general election is two years away, the debate over the 2023 governorship election in Enugu State is building up, especially in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

 

The debate is being fuelled by intrigues and permutations over which zone will produce a successor to Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi. With Governor Ugwuanyi’s tenure expected to end in 2023, the three zones are claiming that the party should allow them to produce the next governor of the state.

 

The zones insist that the end of the present administration would end the first phase of power rotation formula, which moved among Enugu East from 1999 to 2007, Enugu West from 2007 to 2015 and Enugu North from 2015 to date. Based on the existing power rotation arrangement in the state, the party is yet to decide the zone to produce it governorship candidate for the next election.

 

While some stakeholders are of the opinion that power should return to Enugu East in 2023, others insist that the next phase of the rotation arrangement should be open to all zones. For instance, stakeholders from Enugu North, where the incumbent governor hails from are of the view that the zone should begin the next rotation in 2023 on the grounds that it was the last zone to produce the governor based on the first round of the arrangement.

 

They have also agreed to pressurize the governor to support the argument that the next cycle of rotation should begin from the zone. Justifying the call for power to remain in Enugu North beyond 2023, an advocacy group from the zone, Igbo Nsukka United Forum (INUF), said the zone has been terribly short-changed in the state despite its population.

 

National Secretary of the group, Ogbuja Ogbu, said the zone has suffered the worst form of marginalization in the allocation of Enugu State’s resources. He regretted that most of the developmental projects in the state are cited in Enugu East Senatorial Zone.

 

He listed the projects to include the Enugu State government house; Institute of Management and Technology (IMT), Enugu; Enugu State University of Science and Technology (ESUT), University of Nigeria, Enugu Campus; ESUT Teaching Hospital, Parklane and Enugu State College of Education Technical (ESCET).

 

Others, according to him, are Federal Neuropsychiatric Hospital; Federal Orthopedic Hospital; School of Dental Studies; University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital; Akanu Ibiam International Airport; Nnamdi Azikiwe Stadium; Nigeria Law School, Agbani; National Open University, Trans-Ekulu Enugu and Federal College of Education, Eha- Amufu, among others. Ogbu listed further listed projects in Enugu West Senatorial zone to include Coca Cola Depot, Ngwo; 7UP Bottling Company; Nigeria Breweries, Ama; Federal Road Safety Academy, Udi; Enugu State Polytechnic, Iwollo; Police College, Oji River; College of Health and Technology, Oji River; Oji River Dam; Enugu State University of Education, Awgu and National Youths Service Crops (NYSC) Orientation Camp, among others. For powerbrokers from Enugu West, the argument is that the rotation should commence from their zone rather than Enugu East or Enugu North.

 

This group insists that starting from the other zones would shortchange the zone. They noted that since 1979, Enugu East Senatorial District has produced three governors, Senator Jim Nwobodo, Chief C. C. Onoh and Senator Chimaroke Nnamani, while Enugu North district has produced Dr. Okwesilieze Nwodo and Ugwuanyi.

 

They contended that Enugu West has produced only Sullivan Chime as governor and allowing the zone to begin the new zoning arrangement would be in the best interest of the party and state in general. Members of the group further argued that the zone should be allowed to produce the next governor because it was the second zone in the first share of power to produce a governor. They insisted that Enugu East that started the arrangement should not begin the second stanza of the arrangement.

 

Similarly, stakeholders from Enugu East are also insisting that it is their turn to produce the next governor. The people of zone are of the opinion that since they started the current zoning arrangement in 1999 and now that all the zones have benefited from the rotational arrangement, power should be allowed to return to them.

 

 

They insisted that allowing political engineering to start from the beginning and simultaneously move around again would engender equity, fairness and justice in the party.

 

They also stressed that 16 years without control of executive power in the state has become a serious setback to the growth and development of their area. Apart from the positions of stakeholders from the three senatorial districts, some other powerbrokers in the ruling party in the state are also insisting that the next governorship contest should be thrown open for all interested persons.

 

This group argued that since the three zones have benefited from the first rotation arrangement, the contest should be open and any zone that wins in the open bid will begin the second phase of the rotation.

 

This political school of thought believes that those who initiated the rotation arrangement never endorsed a clockwise movement that must begin with Enugu East senatorial zone. They insist that since the first arrangement has been completed, the wise thing is to allow all the three zones to compete with equal opportunities. They also argued that Senator Nnamani, who started the arrangement, did not contest as a sole candidate in 1999.

 

To further illustrate the entrenchment of the zoning arrangement in the state, in 1999 Chief Jim Nwobodo, Chief C.C. Onoh and some other founding fathers met and settled for a zoning format that would reduce acrimony in electoral contest as was exemplified in the Hyde Onoaguluchi versus Okwesilieze Nwodo showdown of 1991.

 

 

They agreed on the rotation arrangement but Chief Onoh wanted the rotation to begin from Enugu West because of his truncated governorship election but others suggested and preferred the beginning from Enugu East.

 

Although the two powerbrokers stocked to their position but agreed that any zone that wins the governorship election should be the starting point for the rotation since the election would be fought on the basis of political parties. During the election, Nnamani from Enugu East, who was the candidate of PDP defeated Chief Gbazuagu Nweke Gbazuagu of All Peoples Party (APP) from Enugu West, the defeat was what set the turn for the zoning arrangement in the state.

 

Following the outcome of the 1999 governorship election, the gubernatorial trajectory started with former Senator Nnamani of Enugu East Senatorial Zone for eight years from 1999 to 2007, after which Sullivan Chime took over the helm of affairs for another eight years from 2007 to 2015 for Enugu West Senatorial Zone, which now paved way for Enugu North Senatorial Zone with the incumbent Governor Ugwuanyi doing his second term in office which commenced in 2015 and will elapse in 2023.

 

As the debate over the zoning arrangement rages within the fold of Enugu PDP, the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) is waiting to capitalize on the failures of the ruling party in the state though many political watchers are of the view that it would be an uphill task for the opposition party to penetrate and upstage the PDP in state despite constituting a formidable opposition.

 

However, given the array of prominent and influential politicians the party parades in the state and the South-East in general like former Senate President, Ken Nnamani; ex- Governor Chime; former Secretary to the State government, Onyemuche Nnamani; Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama and the Director-General of Voice of Nigeria (VON) Osita Okechukwu, the party will be a force in the state come 2023.

 

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