04/11/2022
*GOVERNOR UGWUANYI AND ENUGU PDP STAKEHOLDERS VOWED TO STOP THE LABOUR PARTY ENUGU NORTH SENATORIAL ZONAL CAMPAIGN FLAG-OFF*
A source close to the Enugu Government House has disclosed to Operacable, an online media outfit that Governor Ugwuanyi is worried over the rising popularity and massive acceptance of the Labour Party in Enugu State particularly in Enugu North Senatorial Zone where he is running to represent the zone in the Senate. Operacable gathered from a close aide and an ally to Governor Ugwuanyi who pleaded anonymity that His Excellency, the Governor had yesterday being Wednesday placed distress calls to the six local government Chairmen in Enugu North Senatorial Zone, the candidates of PDP in various positions from the zone and some notable stakeholders from the zone asking about what they are doing concerning the Labour Party Zonal Campaign Flag-Off scheduled to hold on 5th November,2023.
Governor Ugwuanyi being uncomfortable with the responses he got from those he called, had earlier today summoned a meeting in Enugu. Those he summoned to the meeting include Mr. Peter Mbah, Chief Augustine Nnamani, Chief Ikeje Asogwa- the DG, Peter Mbah Campaign Organization, Chief Vita Abba, Dr. Dan Shere (Ozoigbondu), Hon. Christiana Onah (Ijele Nwanyi), six council Chairman in Nsukka Zone and the PDP Zonal Chairman Enugu North Senatorial Zone. At the meeting, Governor Ugwuanyi expressed his worries over the state of affairs in PDP and the level at which the Labour Party is operating in the State since the emergence of its gubernatorial candidate, Hon. Chijioke Edeoga. Ugwuanyi told the invitees at the meeting that Chijioke Edeoga and Okey Ezea have gained so much ground in Nsukka zone more than himself and any other PDP candidate. The Governor then charged all the six local government chairmen from the zone to go and raise 20million Naira each and to mobilize youths, women and other party faithful to embark on rally in Enugu North Senatorial Zone on Saturday 5th November,2022 to counter and also to whittled down the impact which the Labour Party Enugu North Senatorial Zone Rally would create in the zone if the rally is allowed to go successfully. The Governor directed that the Chairmen should mobilize at least ten (10) buses from each local government in Nsukka zone and also to make a provision of at least N15,000.00 to be given to each person that attends the PDP rally which will hold this Saturday at the new Nsukka Mini Stadium that is yet to be commissioned. The Governor also ordered that every ongoing developmental project should be suspended till after the general election next year and he directed the local government chairmen to constitute the members of the Development Centres with immediate effect, appoint more aides and make a compressive list of stakeholders in Nsukka zone who have held one position or the other in past so that they will be settled with huge cash as Christmas gift by December, 2022. Mr. Peter Mbah on his own part has promised to provide wrappers( Ankra) material to the local government Chairmen which they will start sharing to all the women in Nsukka zone with a cash gift of N2,000 and one painter of rice beginning from Friday 4th Novemeber,2022 so as to buy the women over.
The National Youth President of National Association of Nsukka Youths, Roy Ekwueme was also directed to mobilize students from the University of Nigeria Nsukka, ESUT and IMT to Nsukka for a Million March for “ Gburugburu” on Saturday 5th November,2022 which take off point will be from Opi Junction to Nsukka town. All these they articulated at the meeting as the strategies geared towards frustrating the Labour Party zonal rally scheduled to hold this Saturday in Nsukka Zone as gathered by Operacable. It was also gathered that the State Government had earlier made attempt to seal the venue of the Labour Party Zonal rally in Nsukka if not for the insistence of the management of Nsukka High School who were of the view that every political party in the state should be given equal opportunity and fair playgrounds for campaigns.
When Operacable correspondent interviewed Mr. Chidi Ugwuona, a stakeholder from Nsukka Zone, Mr. Ugwuona said: “Governor Ugwuanyi is a disappointment to Ndi Nsukka”.
“How could this man called Governor Ugwuanyi be wasting the state resources on buying over the people he could not pay their pensions, gratuities and minimum wages? How could he be so mindless to ask local government chairmen to spend N20 Million each just to frustrate Labour Party’s zonal rally in Nsukka”?, chief Ugwuona interrogated. “It is very clear that Governor Ugwuanyi has totally lost direction and the people of Enugu has rejected him and his party, the first of its kind in the Enugu political history.”
“ If not, how could a siting governor be struggling for recognition and acceptance by his own people”, Mr. Ugwuona lamented. Did Gov. Sullivan struggle to deliver Gburugburu? Did Sullivan Chime paid the people to endorse PDP candidates or pay solidarity visits to him before he delivered PDP in 2015? The answers are NO!”.
"It is either that this man called Gburugburu is helpless, bewitched or that he is clueless " Ugwuona finally iterated.
The questions agitating peoples’ minds as gathered by our correspondent are: Why is Governor Ugwuanyi and PDP in Enugu State jittery? Why are they losing sleep over Labour Party that started just five months ago in Enugu State when they have been in power for more than 23 years now? If Governor Ugwuanyi has performed well, why is he paying people to organize solidarity visits for him? Remember that when Labour Party started its movement, it was said by the ruling PDP that Labour Party has no structure and that Chijioke Edeoga has no war-chest to contest for the governorship position. Now five months down the line, the narratives have changed and the ruling PDP is now saying that Labour Party are renting crowds for its rallies. What an irony of life. If Labour Party in Enugu State is renting crowd for rallies, the question is : with whose money? Is it Edeoga’s money or Gburugburu’s money? The truth is that PDP has outlived its value and acceptance in Enugu ;and the good people of Enugu state needs a breathe of fresh air which Hon. Edeoga represents. Again, it is obvious that PDP did not see this political tsunami coming because if the ruling party in the state had seen this coming, Governor Ugwuanyi wouldn’t have sacrificed the gubernatorial ticket of the PDP at the altar of personal gratification. The party would have chosen a popular candidate other than Peter Mbah.
Now the die is cast! The Labour Party appears not to be only prepared and determined to hold its Zonal Campaign Flag-off on Saturday 5th November,2022 at Nsukka High School by 11 am prompt but they are also convincingly saying that the outcome of the rally will be overwhelmingly unprecedent. And that the Saturday event will be the final obituary announcement of PDP in Nsukka Zone which interment will follow at the poll and many PDP stakeholders in the state would visit their personal Doctors by next week. Operacable will be there live!
Ozioko Ikenna reporting for Operacable