Enugu Guber: Attack On Ekweremadu Unnecessary – Ex-APC Chairman, Nwoye

Former chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), in Enugu State, Dr. Ben Nwoye has described as unnecessary the recent backlash on the former Deputy Senate President, Senator Ike Ekweremadu over his guber ambition.

Naija News recalls that Ekweremadu has said earlier that he is not backing down from the Enugu State 2023 Governorship race.

The lawmaker said this while reacting to calls from stakeholders in the state urging him to respect an existing zoning arrangement.

Ekweremadu, however, said he was not aware of such arrangements, hence he would not allow any form of a media campaign to deter his governorship ambition.

Speaking through the Director-General of his campaign organization, Mr. Ogbonna Asogwa, Ekweremadu insists he won’t be dissuaded by what he called “a galore of sponsor relies on, forgeries, intimidation, and press statements against” his ambition.

“Such would neither distract nor stop the Senator from vying for the governorship of Enugu State in the 2023 general elections,” Asogwa noted.

Addressing newsmen on Thursday in Enugu, Nwoye said he perceived attacks on the former Deputy Senate President Ekweremadu as a show of weakness from his attackers.

According to him, if the people opposing Ekweremadu’s ambition have a better or good programme, they should show why they are better than him instead of berating his good intention.

Nwoye stressed that there was nowhere in the constitution where anyone could be barred from contesting elections whether zoning or no zoning.

Giving explanations, however, to why he is in support of zoning, Nwoye said, “I’m for zoning because it has brought peace, equity and fairness in Enugu State but zoning does not prevent anyone from running for an election, there are other factors that prevent someone from running but not on zoning.

“When zoning is done in any political party, the best thing is to appeal to those that are not from the zone where the position is zoned to, to drop their ambition for peace and fairness, you don’t threaten, you don’t force them to drop their ambition

“For instance, APC has zoned the governorship seat to Enugu East Senatorial district and I stand by that zoning, even when people come to talk about the issue of competence, but I believe that every zone has competent people, we just need to choose right.”

Nwoye explained further that he gave his support to zoning during the rally organized by Enugu East, not because he belonged to the PDP fold but because it was fair.

He recalled how they started the zoning with Enugu East in 1999, thereafter proceeded to Enugu West and to Enugu North.

“So it ought to go back to Enugu East and the people of Enugu East has appealed to other aspirants from Enugu West and North to support Enugu East so that we can continue to enjoy fair distribution,” he said.

Speaking further, Nwoye said it was unfortunate that there are others who believe they have potential to govern the state and have the constitutional right to run, but that people will still attack them when they declare their interest.

Nwoye added: “Specifically, Senator Ike Ekweremadu does not deserve the type of attack that some people in PDP are giving him. What the people of Enugu East should do is to appeal to Ekweremadu and some others.

“The Enugu East people ought to send a delegation to Senator Ekweremadu and plead with him to allow Enugu East to go, but for the fact that they are attacking him, it means they don’t have all it takes to contest,” he said.