2015: PDP sure of Enugu State

At the beginning of every year, Igwe Patrick Eze gives what he
calls his “New Year message” to his people in particular and
Nigerians in general on a number of issues bordering on peace,
development and progress of the country. The traditional ruler
of Egali Amalla in Udenu Local Government Area of Enugu
State and patron of Ohanaeze Ndigbo urged Nigerians not to
engage in violence this election year. He called on all to allow
their votes count rather than bloodshed. “Let other states take
a cue from Enugu State because in Enugu and Nigeria, votes
will flow for Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi and President Goodluck
Jonathan,” he said. He spoke on the role of men of God and
what the people expect from them at this point in time.
From all indications all is now set for an Nsukka governor in
Enugu State. How do you feel about it?
I feel happy and believe every Nuskka person is equally happy.
I want to thank Governor Sullivan Iheanacho Chime and the
stakeholders of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in the
state who made the promise to zone the governorship ticket
to Nsukka on the principle of power rotation. The Governor
and the stakeholders felt that Enugu East and West senatorial
zones have taken their shares of the seat with Dr Chimaroke
Nnamani 1999-2007 for Enugu East and Barr Sullivan
2007-2015 for Enugu West and therefore Enugu North zone,
that is Nsukka has the next turn. The governor in particular
stuck his neck to it and the entire people of Enugu State are
in full support of the development.
When Hon Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi was announced as the candidate
of the PDP, political leaders from other zones threw their
weights behind him immediately and we are very happy about
it.
What has happened in Enugu as regard zoning and rotation of
power is something that I wish to recommend for other states
across the country because it gives chance for peace and
stability of the polity and of course makes democracy to
thrive. I’m sure that it will interest people from other places
across the country to hear that on this electioneering season,
the political atmosphere in Enugu is so peaceful and very
conducive ahead of next month’s election. People are calm
and happy and are going about with campaigns because they
have seen the handwriting on the wall on the direction to
take.
Nsukka Governor: What are your expectations?
What I know is that God doesn’t sleep and to my observations
God has been so kind to the people of Enugu through
Governor Chime. Hon Ugwuanyi who is running to succeed
Chime has the full support of the good people of the state.
The voice of the people is the voice of God. Ugwuanyi is
somebody I know from childhood. I believe that if Ugwuanyi,
who is popularly called gburugburu eventually becomes
governor, he will not disappoint.
As a member of the Federal House of Representative
representing Igbo North/Udenu Federal Constituency he didn’t
disappoint the people of his constituency and that was the
reason why he was elected three times consecutively – 2003,
2007 and 2011. As governor, he has to deliver service of good
governance knowing fully well that his predecessor left a huge
legacy of good governance behind. He will try as much as
possible to carry out pro people projects capable to make
positive impact on the lives of the people. Chime built high
standard roads cloistered with streetlights. The construction
of Nike – Opi – Nsukka road is a piece of development. Not
only that it made things easy for commuters who shuttle
Nsukka to and from Enugu regularly, but it also opened the
gate for development in that area and before you know it
people will build houses, industries, market, filling stations and
so on. Chime sanitized the city of Enugu with modern
transport system by banning okada, which constituted
nuisance to the city. Chime affected a turn around in the lives
of the traditional rulers by increasing our salary and issued us
with brand new cars, Chime improved on security and the
Inspector General of Police declared Enugu the most crime free
state in Nigeria, a gigantic state secretariat complex is
ongoing and many other things he did to better the lives of
the people. Ugwuanyi has been on the ground with the people
and I’m sure that he will touch our lives in terms of service
delivery.
As a patron of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, how would you react to the
opposition raised by some Igbo leaders against the move by
Ohanaeze to endorse Jonathan for second term?
Ohanaeze is the umbrella body that holds the entire Igbo
nation together, including those living across the bridge in
Niger Delta, We are in a democracy, so if the majority of
Ohanaeze say Ndigbo is for Jonathan, the minority will have
to surrender or even queue behind because, sometimes, if you
cannot beat them you join them.
What is your take on Mbaka’s message that Jonathan must
go?
I laugh at some men of God. Every human being is of God
because He created us. I wonder why Mbaka’s name should
sound like something else. Anyway, I blame the First Lady,
Dame Patience Jonathan and Senator Ike Ekweremadu who
visited his Church in the first place. You know Mbaka is
always buying property. So when you visit his Church he will
pray and bless you and along the line expect something from
you. And according to him (Mbaka) after two weeks of First
lady and Ekweremadu’s visit during which he prayed and
blessed them including President Jonathan, he called them on
phone severally expecting some thing tangible, but they did
not answer his calls and nothing came his way, so he decided
to fire back.
During Chimaroke Nnamani’s regime he predicted that if
Chimaroke wins reelection he would remove his suntan. But
when Chimaroke retained the seat he didn’t keep his words.
Why couldn’t he remove his suntan? During the time when Dr
Okwesilieze Nwodo was the National Chairman of PDP he
preached a message tilted: Nsukka Ndo nu, meaning Nsukka
sorry, insulting thousands of Nsukka people who always troop
to his Adoration prayer like sheep and nobody got what he
actually meant by that message. After the so-called New Year
message people rumored that he has mental problem but I
don’t see it that way. I think he is craving for recognition.
They talked about the experiment he did with four pigeons
which he was commanding to fly out and all that. Such things
don’t move people like me because to me, it is like people
making attempt to do magic.
It is here in Nigeria you see men of God who can see
something that will happen in foreign countries ahead of time,
predict something that will happen in the air and inside the
sea but they cannot see that their church will collapse and kill
innocent people in Lagos.
We expect men in suntan to preach the message of
repentance and pray for the people and the Nation rather than
delve into politics to gain cheap recognition.
New Year Message
We thank God that at the long run 2015 is here. Nigerians
started laying emphasis on 2015 about two years ago and
since then it has been ringing like a bell just because it is an
election year and finally it has arrived. My message is that
people of this country particularly politicians and their
followers especially the youths have to use their tongue to
count their teeth while we prepare for the forthcoming
elections next month. Using tongue to count teeth is a wise
act of being cautious and so politicians should just do that
and avoid causing trouble capable of breaching law and order
or even threaten the unity of this country. The elections –
from Presidency, governorship, down to National Assembly and
state Assembly respectively – should not be a do-or-die
affair. Power belongs to God and nobody should attempt to
force himself into power without the approval of God.
We have waited so long for this election period and we have
to go about it with utmost believe that God is the ultimate
decider of who gets into power, so if you fail to make it, you
wait for God’s appointed time and avoid causing trouble. This
is the 16th year of democracy in this country and we are
expected to show maturity and competence by showing to the
world that we have grown. The entire world has beamed
searchlight on us to see how well we can go in running free,
fair and credible elections. And as giant of Africa with 16
years of experience we cannot afford to disappoint the world.
How are you preparing the people of your community ahead
of the election?
INEC is distributing permanent voter card and I have mandate
all eligible voters to go and get it at the local government
headquarters in Obollo Afor so that they should be able to
vote. Secondly, everybody should vote according to his or her
mind and defend it by waiting at their booths until the votes
are counted. Let me use this opportunity to extent the same
messages to all eligible voters in the country and also beg the
youths to avoid being used by desperate politicians to cause
trouble during election because that will certainly endanger
their future.