Ahead of the 2015 governorship elections in Abia state, the recent decision of the PDP zoning the position to Abia South has led to a former member of the House of Representatives, Hon. Tony Enwereuzor and the National Leader of the Ukwa/Ngwa Ethnic nationality, Dr. Emmanuel Adaelu trading accusations over the decision of the party.
In an interview with newsmen in Aba, the ex Rep member accused Adaelu of misleading the Ukwa/ Ngwa people by supporting the decision zoning the governorship seat to Abia South, alleging that he already has an adopted candidate from the area.
Elder Adaelu is afraid that his candidate may not emerge if the contest is declared open to all Ukwa/ Ngwa people. This is unfortunate for somebody we hold in high esteem, somebody we think is our leader; I mean it calls to question the leadership which he portends to give to my people. So I have this worry that he has zeroed in his mind on an aspirant and that is not how leadership is sustained. When you become obviously partial, then you lose the moral high ground to allow people to accept you as a leader. As far as I know, Elder Adaelu is on his own in this matter because he cant stop me or anybody from Osisioma, Isiala Ngwa North and Isiala Ngwa South from running for governor in 2015.
He warned that the people of the three Ukwa/Ngwa local governments will not allow themselves to be cheated out of the contest which he said had earlier been agreed should come to the entire nine LGAs of Ukwa/Ngwa bloc.
Enwereuzor who represented Aba South/ Aba North Federal constituency from 1999 to 2003 further accused Adaelu of organizing a mock poll to frustrate his governorship ambition in 2007, alleging that the elder statesman appears ready to give the ˜2007 treatment to aspirants who are not in his good books.
I dont want to join issues with Elder Adaelu but I think he is wrong again on the issue of governorship in Abia State as it concerns the Ukwa/Ngwa people. In 2007, he conducted a straw poll in his house where I came first and the agreement was that whoever came first out of nine of us would be forwarded to the party (PDP) as the sole candidate from the zone. I came first, he rushed to the then national secretary of the party, Chief Ojo Maduekwe and said unprintable things about my person, he said I did not have money and lacked the capacity to win election.
“He did all these to disparage me and took the person who was third as the acceptable candidate. Ojo Maduekwe adopted Chief Okezie Orji who came third and that is why we are where we are today; there was no reason why I wouldnt have won the election by then. I said it is unfortunate again because the same thing is playing out now.
But in a swift reaction during an interview with select journalists at his office, Adaelu denied stooping Enwereuzor from running for governor in 2007, adding that the ex Rep member should hide his face in shame.
It is good Tony Enwereuzor is saying this now; if I were him, I would not have made the statement. Im glad that the people who sat over the mock primary and others who took the decision at the party level are still alive. What happened was that he came first in the mock primary which our people organized to get a consenus candidate in 2007. There were six of them; Marc Wabara, Okezie Orji, Rolland Nwosu ,Ahamdi Nweke and Sunny Isiguzoro. Enwereuzor came first and we submitted his name but the party said he could not meet up with their requirements and asked for another person. The next was Marc Wabara who they said was not acceptable to the party. This is how we forwarded Okezie Orjis name. Can you believe that Enwereuzor and the other aspirants who signed an undertaking to support whoever was chosen, later went back to stand for the primaries which led to Onyema Ugochukwu winning with a marginal vote. This is no way Okezie Orji would not have emerged governor if Enwereuzor and the other aspirants kept their promises.
Only Enwereuzor stopped himself because he couldnt fulfill the requirements of the party. Two days after the mock primary, the same Enwereuzor who told us at the panel that he has the funds to run the governorship polls, came to my house to demand that I loan him N45 million when the party asked him to bring money. So, he only stopped himself. I assure you that the panel which was composed traditional rulers and eminent persons from the nine Ukwa/Ngwa LGAs were fair to all of them and they commended us for our position.
Adaelu who is also the National Chairman of States Creation Movements in Nigeria, denied reports of having adopted a governorship candidate from Abia South, stressing that he was only supporting the decision because it will promote orderliness in the governorship contests among the three senatorial zones of the state.
Our people should support Gov. Theodore Orji and the PDP produce an Abia governor from Abia south zone, he said.