In compliance with the emphasized zoning culture prevailing in the Enugu state chapter of PDP and for the sake of equity, justice, and fair play, Professor Godsmark Eddy Ugwu, one of the founding fathers of the party in Enugu state, who is currently aspiring to contest Enugu North senatorial district election, has pleaded with Governor Ugwuanyi to drop his ambition and support him.
Professor Ugwu made the plea after appearing before PDP National and State assembly screening exercise for Enugu state aspirants, held at the state party Secretariat on Wednesday, April 27.
Ugwu who was almost shedding tears while briefing newsmen, disclosed that he went into the senatorial contest on the conviction that the rotational/zoning principle which has also been effective in Enugu North senatorial district favors his constituency, Igbo Eze South/Nsukka federal constituency, not knowing that Governor Ugwuanyi who belongs to Igbo Eze North/Udenu federal constituency, will eventually join in the contest.
Prof Ugwu pleaded, “For the sake of equity, justice, and fair play and also in compliance to our zoning formula, I am pleading with Governor Ugwuanyi to shelve his aspiration to go to the senate in 2023 for me. We have supported him as a three-term federal lawmaker of the National assembly(lower house), two-term governor of Enugu state, and our thinking was that he will be staking at the presidency in 2023”.
“I don’t want to go to the party primaries to be disgraced by Governor Ugwuanyi or surprisingly myself disgracing him. I made a series of consultations before picking the nomination and interest form to contest the senate, amidst the fact of my existing grass-root support across the six local government areas of Enugu North district in the past two decades. For the sake of equity, justice, and fair play, I am passionately appealing to Governor Ugwuanyi to let me continue with my aspiration as the next Senator of Enugu North senatorial district. I have the influence and capacity to win it for PDP, in as much as I will also enjoy his support”.
“I am a political scientist with experience and I promise to make a desirable impact in the legislation at the National assembly and will also impact positively on the needs of our senatorial district and Enugu state”.
Answering questions on reports that Ugwuanyi emerged as the consensus candidate of Enugu North district, Prof Ugwu described the said meeting held on Sunday, April 2022, where the decision was taken as politically stage-managed to cage the delegates and stakeholders whom he has won their sympathies, stating he is still strongly appealing to Governor Ugwuanyi to have a rethinking as a God-fearing politician who preaches peace and understanding among the political class.
The political scientist further said that it is not true that the current senator of Enugu North senatorial district, Senator Chuka Utazi, who belongs to Igbo Etiti/Uzo Uwani federal constituency of Enugu North senatorial district stepped down for Governor Ugwuanyi. He revealed that Senator Utazi conscious of the fact of the zoning principle did not pick the PDP senatorial nomination for a third term and described him as a gentleman in politics.
He stated, “I respect Senator Chuka Utazi a lot. He is a gentleman in politics and never wanted to disrupt the zoning formula in our district. I am very hopeful that Governor Ugwuanyi will relinquish his ambition to pave way for me, so as not to truncate the zoning principle in our senatorial district. It is the turn of Igbo Eze South/Nsukka federal constituency to produce the next senator of Enugu North senatorial district and our People are in my support. I am also pleading for Governor Ugwuanyi to support me”.
