The Peoples Democratic Party in Enugu State on Thursday asked the Senator representing Enugu North Senatorial District, Sen. Ayogu Eze, to desist from making comments that could overheat the polity.
The warning, which was made in a statement issued by the zonal chairman of the party in Enugu North Senatorial District, Chief Mike Ejinima, was in response to the Senator’s opposition to the selection of a member of the House of Representatives, Hon. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, as the party’s consensus candidate for the 2015 governorship election.
But Eze explained that his disagreement with the governor and the state chapter of the party was only on the principle and procedure for choosing the Peoples Democratic Party governorship candidate for the forthcoming general elections in the state.
He said he would go ahead with his own gubernatorial ambition, is insisting on open primaries for the selection of the party’s flag bearer.
The Senator has also accused PDP officials in Enugu State of planning to hire thugs to demonstrate against his call for open primaries, in a bid to deny him the opportunity to seek the party’s governorship ticket.
However, reacting to the allegation, the Enugu State chapter of the PDP, through Ejinima, accused the Senator of overheating the polity.
Describing the allegation as “unfounded and mischievous,” Ejinima wondered why Eze “should involve himself in such a desperate move and tissue of lies in order to weep up sentiments in pursuant of his ambition.”
Ejinima explained that the Enugu State Chapter of the PDP, by its unanimous endorsement of Ugwuanyi as the consensus candidate for the governorship position, “has not closed its doors against any aspirant who has a contrary position to the party decision on the matter to participate in the party’s governorship primary election.”
He disclosed that the party will be glad to welcome Eze to the primaries “to test his strength as he has always claimed, if at the end of the day he still insists on contesting against the popular choice of the party.”
Meanwhile Eze, on Thursday denied recent media reports of a frosty relationship between him and his state governor, Mr. Sullivan Chime.
The senator was reportedly having a running battle with the governor over his ambition to succeed Chime in the Enugu Government House in 2015.
But Eze in a statement in Abuja, declared that there was no rift between him and his state governor.
The Senator described Chime as an old friend and debunked insinuations that his rejection of an attempt to impose a predetermined candidate of the governor, had created a gap between them as friends.
Eze said he had been very close to Chime for nearly 15 years and dismissed fears by some stakeholders that his governorship ambition would affect the relationship between the two of them.
Eze, who said he still held the governor in very high esteem, expressed confidence that “the governor will realise that those pushing him to take some of the steps he is taking now do not mean well for him and the state.”
