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Nnamani holds key to successor
2007 is still three years away, but Correspondent,
NKIRU OKEKE, reports that the question of who succeeds incumbent governor of
Enugu State, Dr. Chimaroke Nnamani from the army of politicians who are
positioning themselves for the plum job is uppermost in the minds of many people
in the state.
DISCRETE
moves. Subtle intrigues. Deft
manoeuvres. These are apt descriptions of the modus operandi of top
politicians in Enugu who are habouring plans to succeed Gov. Chimaroke Nnamani
of Enugu State in 2007.
To an apolitical person, the political
scene in the state is presently devoid of activity. But beneath such seeming
innocuous atmosphere, are complex moves and intrigues by both elected political
leaders and top government functionaries, within and outside the confines of the
state whose eyes are focused on the Enugu State Government House in 2007.
With opposition almost dead, there is a
widespread belief that Nnamani�s successor will naturally come from the ruling
Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). This feeling is strengthened by the fact that
those already identified as habouring the gubernatorial ambition are mainly from
the PDP and they are all jostling to get the governor�s backing for the top job
of the state.
Top on the list of those being speculated
to be nursing the governorship ambition is the incumbent deputy governor, Chief
Okechukwu Itanyi. The man has not publicly made his ambition known, but it is
within the ears of every politically informed Enugu resident that Itanyi is
interested in stepping into the shoe of his boss in 2007.
His unalloyed loyalty to Nnamani, apart
from other qualities may give him advantage far more than other aspirants from
the PDP fold in the state. The deputy governor stood firmly with the governor
even when his own Nsukka people were hauling vitriolic attacks at, and waging a
relentless battle against Nnamani prior to the 2003 elections.
To a large extent, the massive support
earned Itanyi greater respect and closeness to the governor. In the view of
analysts, Nnamani may like to pay the deputy governor back by throwing his
weight behind him in 2007. That, however, largely depends on the level of
confidence the governor has in the ability of his deputy to manage the affairs
of a politically vibrant state like Enugu.
Luckily for Itanyi, he is from Nsukka
which has been clamouring that it is its turn to produce the helmsman of the
state.
However, the man who may give the deputy
governor a great challenge is Senator Ike Ekweremadu, representing Enugu-West.
He has been a close ally of the governor and has not hidden the fact from
anybody who cares to know.
During the 2003 election, he fought
tirelessly to ensure the re-election of the governor. He was rumoured then to be
a top member of Nnamani�s kitchen cabinet and was helping to churn out
strategies which the campaign group of the governor deployed to thwart all the
plans and moves of the army of opposition elements that swore that the governor
would not return to the plum office.
Ekweremadu was paid back with a senatorial
ticket. He is rumoured to be desperate about taking the baton from Nnamani. That
is not impossible except that observers are worried that the current
speculations of a not too rosy relationship between him and Nnamani may stand as
a hurdle to his achieving that ambition.
Senator Ekweremadu got huge support from
Nnamani at the kic-off of this dispensation when he made moves to become the
Senate President. Although the bid failed, it however, brought to the knowledge
of many Nigerians how highly the governor regarded the senator.
Different interpretations have been given
as to why the senator has allegedly fallen apart with Nnamani. One version
attributes it to an early revelation that the senator was nursing a
gubernatorial ambition. Another version simply links it to power play among
those believed to be habouring similar plans. Everything, however, is still in
the realm of conjecture.
Like Ekweremadu, incumbent minister of
Special Duties and Inter-Governmental Affairs, Frank Nweke Junior and Prince Sam
Ejiofor, Special Adviser to Nnamani on Political Matters and Local Government
are also widely believed to be surreptitiously oiling their political machinery
to prosecute their ambition for the covetted job.
Although Ejiofor hails from Enugu East,
the same zone with Nnamani, his rising political profile which has given him the
sobriquet, Engine Room, may make him to spring surprises. Currently, he
is widely respected in the state�s cabinet. Pundits believe that should his
profile continue to garner the weight and strength it is recording presently, he
may, despite the odd of hailing from the same senatorial zone with the governor,
be the man to beat for the exalted office.
Though Nweke Junior is yet to register
strongly on the minds of many as a likely strong aspirant, he is known for his
intelligence and extraordinary knack for strategies. He may bring that to the
front burner of his ambition.
However, the general belief that
opposition parties in the state have been silenced and may not be able to put up
any challenge against PDP may not be a reliable assumption. They may, indeed, be
on the drawing board, testing different permutations. They may also be engaged
in self analysis to help them record a more heartwarming result in 2007.
For instance, Ugochukwu Agballah, All
Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) governorship candidate in the 2007 election is
showing signs that he has not given up his bid to occupy the office. APGA is
still a strong party in the state and may spring surprises especially if the
leadership of the party is able to manage its fortunes well.
To weigh favourably for Agballah is the
continued outcry of Enugu West zone that it should be allowed, for once, to
produce, like other zones, the governor of the state.
They insist that Chief Onoh, who they
produced in 1983 on the platform of the defunct National Party of Nigeria (NPN)
only presided over the state for 86 days. This is opposed to the other two
zones- Enugu North and East which produced Dr. Okwesileze Nwodo in 1991 and
Chief Jim Nwobodo in 1979 and 1983 and the incumbent governor, Nnamani who is
yet to serve out his second term.
If the lamentation of political leaders of
Enugu West gets the sympathy of other zones, definitely, Agballah would be in a
good stead to actualise his ambition. But again, this is, if PDP does not zone
the position to the area. Or even if it zones it there, the party�s candidate
does not have strong political credentials and clout, comparable to that of
Agballah.
Another factor that may feature
prominently in deciding who becomes the next governor of Enugu State is the �Jim
Nwobodo factor. There is no gainsaying the fact that Nwobodo is no pushover in
Enugu politics. In fact, he is widely regarded as the godfather of the state�s
politics.
No doubt, the fallout of last year�s poll,
especially his inability to bring to fruition his vow to stop Nnamani�s
re-election has dealt a blow to his political image. But again, it will be risky
to totally dismiss him. 2007 may present a new political climate which may place
him at a vantage position to unleash surprises.
Presently, he has been sneaking into the
state anytime he wants to visit there. He no longer comes with the captivating
entourage often led by commercial motorcycle riders (okada) from the Airport, as
used to be his practice before the 2003 polls. There have also been no major
appearances in public occasions for him since 2003. Some argue that the
situation stems from the fact that the politician is still recovering from the
shock of the last elections.
Whatever may be the case, beyond any
contribution that may come from anybody in the making of the next governor of
the state, Gov. Nnamani, unarguably still holds the ace.
Certainly, that accounts for why all the rumoured
aspirants are rallying round him.
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