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Godfrey Nnaji
Reading through the article published in The Sun newspaper of October 4, 2020 by one Prof. Oguejiofo T. Ujam titled “Enugu 2023: Between Zoning Politics and ethnic revisionism” was a delight of sort. It was because of Prof. Ujam’s intellectual and logical chronicle of the genesis and traces of the zoning of the governorship seat among the three senatorial zones in Enugu State namely Enugu East, Enugu West and Enugu North since 1999. The sequence of his accounts and line of thoughts showed that he has a grasp of the political events and developments that have shaped the state since its creation. Even though there are some minor missing links and distortions in his narrative. I will leave that for another day, because it didn’t erase the essence of his message to the Enugu people, especially those who are hellbent on redefining and disrupting the zoning arrangement that has stabilised the governorship election in the state since 1999.
It was obvious that Prof. Ujam was supportive of the clamour for the retention of the zoning principle in the state in 2023, which invariably will favour the Enugu East Senatorial zone to produce Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi’s successor. His position on the issue is in sync with that of the majority, sincere and patriotic Enugu people, who believed strongly in equity and fairness for all. I am not their spokesperson, but it is a fact that majority of Enugu people are not in doubt that it is the turn of Enugu East Senatorial zone to produce the next governor of the state in 2023. They cannot wait to see it happen in the most usual peaceful and rancour-free atmosphere in 2023.
For the sycophants, hatchet writers, scaremongers and hired hirelings, who are distorting facts, peddling lies and spinning falsehoods on social media platforms to justify their obvious plots and conspiracies towards disrupting the zoning arrangement in the state in 2023, they are free to continue their trade.
After all, they are hired and being paid to do so, just because they are cheap, handy, pliable and transactional. But they should know that it is only when people get to the bridge, that they cross it. It is instructive for them to spare their energies now, until when they get to the bridge. Surprisingly, despite Prof. Ujam’s valid, revealing and convincing presentations from the beginning of the article, he lied, erred, goofed and misfired in his concluding part.
It could be observed that from the beginning of the article to its middle, Prof. Ujam cleverly and politically lumped the three senatorial zones in the state together, alternating and pairing each with its cultural affiliation, all in a bid to achieve his predetermined agenda, which is that cultural affiliations should take precedence over senatorial zones that is recognised by the constitution. For example, he referred to Enugu North zone as Nsukka zone, Enugu West as Agbaja zone and Enugu East zone as Nkanu land. Yes, why some of these maybe true, not all the local government areas in Enugu East Senatorial zone are in Nkanu land or Nkanu people. Not all the local governments in Enugu West zone are in Agbaja area or Agbaja people. This is why such should not be the basis for considering Ugwuanyi’s successor in the first place.
Prof. Ujam went further to aprobate and reprobate by inferring that some people within PDP are planning and talking about zoning arrangement based on clans and cultural groupings with core and periphery Nkanu of Enugu East Senatorial zone as their trump card.
He alleged that the protagonists of the dichotomy in Enugu East Senatorial zone are scheming to have Governor Ugwuanyi support a candidate from Isi-Uzo LGA, which comprises of Nsukka cultural and Nkanu people. “But what the promoters of an Isi Uzo governorship slot do not reckon with is that even within the core Nkanu areas like Nkanu East and other border towns have not occupied seats of governance. “Further, the schemers tend to lose sight of the present realities on the ground in the state, which is that PDP is no longer the only mega party in the country, as such; any attempt to divide Nkanu could alter the political standing between PDP and APC in the state.”
The above quoted insinuations and allegations by Prof. Ujam are too weighty to be ignored. It has also exposed him and his real agenda, which is that Ugwuanyi’s successor must be picked from Nkanu land for peace to reign. This suggestion amounts to threat, stampede and insult to the sensibility of the entire Enugu people than appeal for consideration. It showed how greedy, insatiable and selfish the acclaimed Professor Ujam could be in pursuit of political power and gain. Where lies the conscience of a man in the struggle for political power without human face.
The likes of Prof. Ujam should be reminded that Enugu East Senatorial zone that is favoured to produce Gov. Ugwuanyi’s successor is not made up of only Nkanu West and Nkanu East Local government areas. It is made up of six local government areas that include Enugu North, Enugu South, Enugu East, Isi-Uzo, Nkanu West and Nkanu East. It is on record and verifiable that Nkanu West produced Senator ChimarokeNnamani, who was governor of Enugu State between 1999-2007. Nnamani is currently in the Senate representing Enugu East Senatorial zone. Between 2007-2015, the deputy governor of Enugu State in the person of Hon. Sunday Onyebuchi who was impeached along the line and his successor, Rev. Ifeanyi Nwoye, who was later removed by court are both from Nkanu East Local Government Area.
So, the two major local governments that made up Nkanu land have produced governor and deputy since 1999 and have their son currently representing the senatorial zone in the Senate. What else did they want again, when the remaining four local governments in the senatorial zone namely Enugu East, Isi Uzo, Enugu South and Enugu North are yet to produce governor or deputy since the creation of the state in 1991. Are people from these local governments slaves to Nkanu people or brothers? For Prof. Ujam to be openly scared, worried and even warned against a governor of Isi Uzo extraction in 2023 showed how nepotic, tribalistic and hypocritical he is. He blows hot and cold and should not be taken serious by anybody, not even Nkanu people he pretends to be working for. People like him are major problems in the power politics and zoning arrangement. He can only abide by it when it suits his selfish agenda and play the ostrich or the spoiler when it is to favour others. What is Prof. Ujam’s genuine reason or grouse against Isi Uzo LGA producing Ugwuanyi’s successor, if not envy, stereotype, greed and pettiness. Are there no qualified and capable people in Isi Uzo LGA that can succeed Ugwuanyi as governor? There are thousands of them, just like in other local government areas in the state.
What made Prof. Ujam believe that what made Nkanu West and Nkanu East local councils to produce governor and deputy governor between 1999-2007 and 2017-2015 was because they have more capable people than other local government areas in Enugu East Senatorial zone. If Nkanu West and Nkanu East can produce governor and deputy for 16 uninterrupted years, nothing stops Isi-Uzo or any other local government area in Enugu East Senatorial zone, apart Nkanu West and Nkanu East from producing Ugwuanyi’s successor in 2023. There is nothing wrong with it. It is doable and possible. Prof. Ujam and his sponsors should know that it is not only the votes of Nkanu West and Nkanu East that will determine who becomes the governor of the state in 2023. It is the votes of people in all the polling units, wards and local governments in the state of which that of Nkanu West and Nkanu East are in minority of the total. We know the senatorial zone and local governments that produce large votes in governorship election in Enugu since 1999.
Nnaji writes from Neke, Isi-Uzo LGA of Enugu State
