• Ekweremadu hails Asogwa
By CYPRIAN AJAH, Enugu
LEADERS of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Enugu State demonstrated highly united force during the PDP ward, local government and state congresses, concluded last week in the state, ahead of 2019 general elections. There were fears that the political stalwarts would hijack the congress to position their political sons and daughters to brighten their chances in the next general elections. The congress was conducted across the state in a peaceful manner with the participants affirming their support to the newly elected executives. In Enugu State, the congress produced the immediate past chairman of Isiuzo Local Government Area, Augustine Nnamani, as State Chairman. Party leaders emphasized that the principle of zoning was respected in allocating offices to all the three senatorial zones that make up the state. Swearing in the new executive, Governor Ifenayi Ugwuanyi urged the participants and other members of the party whom their aspirations were not met not to ferment trouble in the party. He cautioned that they should embrace peace in other for the party to move forward in the state.
Ugwuanyi stressed that the leadership must carry everyone along irrespective of height or size. “You must approach your duties with due commitment and favour. Everyone in the party is important and you must give them chance to play their roles as party members,” he said. He expressed happiness that the followers of PDP conducted themselves in a peaceful manner during the congress. Also, the Deputy President of the Senate, Ike Ekweremadu, eulogized the immediate past PDP chairman of PDP in Enugu State, Chief Ikeje Asogwa, saying that he handed over a peaceful PDP family to his successor. He recalled that the party leaders had in the past engaged each other in conflict which portrayed danger to the party but he expressed joy that it did not affect the stand of the party in the state. “With due respect to past state party chairman in the state, Mr. Ikeje Asogwa, has emerged as the most successful because he is handing over a most peaceful state to the new chairman” he said, adding, “I remember at a time in the state, we had the Okwesilieze Nwodo and Chimaroke Nnamani faction. At other time, we had the Abuja and Enugu groups and finally the Sullivan Chime group and Ike Ekweremadu faction. But today, we only have the Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi group in Enugu State and we are going to give the governor our result in the year 2023 when we present our certificate to him,” Ekweremadu stated. He emphasized that the reason why the party achieved peace in the congress was because members of the party toed the line of peace which was the legacy of the founding fathers of the state. “The aspiration of the founding father of Enugu State was peace, and peace was achieved at the congress” he said.
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In same vein, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has commended Enugu State PDP for the peaceful conduct of ward, local government and the state congresses. The INEC administrative secretary in the state, Dr. Okwu Aniemene, who represented the Commission, endorsed the result describing it as free and fair. He commended Governor Ugwuanyi and the leaders of the party in the state for shepherding the party in such an orderly manner as to produce a new set of executives without rancor. The new chairman, Augustine Nnamani praised the leaders of the party and the party faithful for making the exercise completely rancor-free, saying the credit goes to the spirit of give and take patriotically exhibited by the leaders and members of the party in the state from the ward and local government congresses to the state congress.
Delegates drawn from the seventeen local government areas in Enugu State participated in the exercise which saw the new chairman receiving loud ovation and support. He affirmed the determination of the new executive to work hard to reposition the party for the task ahead. Nnamani was elected with a “Yes” vote. He polled 954 votes out of the 984 votes cast. He will pilot the affairs of the party for the next four years. Other members elected with him were Mr Cletus Akalusi, Secretary; Dr Christian Iyiani, Organising Secretary, Chief Ogbonnaya Chukwu (Ikenga Okpanku), deputy Secretary, while Mrs. Vera Ezugwu emerged as the Woman Leader. The congress was held at Michael Okpara Square, Enugu