▪️ …Nkanu East most marginalized
By Onziike Orji
The choice of where the second round of zonal rotation of govership ticket for 2023 begins, rests with People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and the sitting governor of the Enugu state, Chief Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, Enugu State PDP chairman, Chief Augustine Nnamani, has stated.
BUT, if he were to make such a choice all by himself, Nnamani said he would give the ticket to Enugu East Senatorial zone and specifically to Nkanu East Council Area of the zone.
Chief Augustine Nnamani (5th from right) in a group photograph with leaders of NELCF
This rural council area he stated deserved the ticket more than any other being the most marginalized in infrastructure and even in appointments, state or federal.
Chief Nnamani was responding to an address by Nkanu East Leaders Consultative Forum led by Professor Bart Nnaji, who paid him a courtesy visit at his Enugu residence to seek his support for the desire of the council area to have the highest office in the state zoned to their them.
Nnamani opined that in all fairness, the council needed the ticket if they could come up with a candidate who could be counted to work for the whole state while at the same time rectifying some observed imbalances in some areas.
He urged the leaders to work hard and present an acceptable aspirant adding that since the choice of who flies the party’s flag was not his to make, he would not sincerely promise what was not within his powers to give.
“The governor and the party (PDP) are to decide the zone where the rotation will begin, now that the rotational cycle has gone round”, Chief Nnamani, explained.
Earlier in his address, leader of the delegation and former Minister of Power, Professor Bart Nnaji, had said his delegation recognised the enormous stake Chief Nnamani controlled in the state and would not embark on such a quest without calling on him.
Pointing out that the second round of rotation was expected to come to Enugu East Senatorial zone, Prof Nnaji said Nkanu East of the zone “deserved to be supported by the other councils in the zone including those who have already had a stint at the office.
“Of these councils, Enugu South LGA had former Governor/Senator Jim Nwobodo; Enugu North LGA produced late Governor C.C. Onoh while Nkanu West LGA had former governor and current Senator for Enugu East, Dr. Chimaroke Nnamani.”
Nnaji said his group was seeking to come from their area, a governor who would balance state-wide development and ensure that the neglect being suffered by his people was corrected by allowing the wind of development get to them.
Nkanu East has no single tarred road and residents of all the towns in the entire Nkanu East North territory have to pass through four other councils before accessing their council headquarters at Amagunze.
“This anormally can easily be corrected by putting a bridge across Nyaba river and connect the towns with roads to even neighbouring ebonyi state.
Professor Nnaji was accompanied on the tour by eminent sons of the area including former Deputy Governor of Enugu State, H E Dr. Sunday Onyebuchi, His Royal Highness, Igwe Abel Nwobodo of Umuawalagu and numerous others.
