Gubernatorial aspirants of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Enugu East Senatorial district have told the Ikeoha campaign organization that there were no bandits or cultists in Enugu state.
The aspirants were reacting to a press conference held in Abuja by the campaign organization, whose principal is senator Ike Ekweremadu.
The Ekweremadu campaign team had among other things alleged that the April 30 PDP ward Congress for three-man ad hoc delegates election held in the state was marred by banditry, much violence and skewed against Ekweremadu.
But the aspirants from Enugu East Senatorial district, represented by Denge Josef-Ken Onoh, in a statement, Friday evening, described all the allegations by the Ekweremadu campaigners as falsehood.
The aspirants however noted that Ekweremadu was one of them whom they hold highly in esteem but stressed that the 2023 governorship in Enugu state has been unanimously zoned to their district and urged him to have faith in the peaceful electoral process.
Onoh in the statement said: “This conference is a unification and a show of solidarity among ourselves to drive home the acceptability and agreement of the people of Enugu state on power rotation and zoning of the common political position of Governorship of the state. Our coming together is to stress our commitment to a peaceful transition process in the state and its dividends of good governance, security and welfare of the people of Enugu state, who are the ultimate beneficiaries of every good administration.
“We wish to acknowledge the pragmatic leadership of the Governor of Enugu State, Rt. Hon. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi has been doing all his best to position Enugu state as the most peaceful and secured state in the country, despite attempts by a few uncooperative ones to dress the state in bad stead. We are behind Governor Ugwuanyi in these trying times and wish him divine intervention in the process of the people of Enugu state to choose who becomes their next administrator after him. We pledge that we will support whoever will emerge as the candidate of the PDP in the process that has already started well on April 30 2022 with the successful conduct of three-man Ad hoc delegates held in all the 260 political wards of our dear state.
“As you were all witnesses, the ward congress was conducted freely and fairly in all the wards of Enugu East senatorial district and to a larger extent in all the 260 wards of the state as was certified by the ward Congress committee sent to the state, except for one or two of complaints, as we learnt, and which is normal and sometimes unavoidable in political contests. We are happy that there was no causality, despite attempts by some disgruntled persons who have chosen not to abide by the popular decision for governorship zoning and rotation among the three senatorial components of the state.
“We have been inundated by inquiries from outside the state, where a press conference was held, in clear neglect of you reputable and hardworking journalists in the state, whom we know had severed them with all you might, up to this time that they chose to make a volt face. However, in response to the inquiries and for posterity’s sake, we wish to make the following clarifications.
“Enugu state is a peaceful state that had not been associated with banditry or cultism as the Ikeoha Campaign organization inferred. We are amazed that the Ikeoha campaign organization would describe all the local government council and PDP leaders in Aninri local government, where their principal comes from, as thugs, bandits and cultists. These are leaders whose principal was part of the election process and never described them as bandits until they chose to hold a parallel congress which they conducted in their private residences.
“Security agents are saddled with the responsibility of tracking bandits and hoodlums as alleged by the campaign organization, and so we are miffed that instead of following the right path of reporting such cases to the appropriate authorities for investigation and action, they chose the media to ridicule the well-conducted exercise and paint Enugu state black.
“We are in good stead with the principal of Ikeoha Campaign Organization, Distinguished Senator Ike Ekweremadu, who is one of us and who we revere so much in high esteem that we are not quite sure that the campaign organization had his authority to disseminate the falsehood it has circulated.
“We and Ekweremadu share a very close affinity bond of friendship and commitment to the greater good of Enugu state and we urge him to unite with us to promote peace so as to ensure a peaceful democratic transition in Enugu state. In the spirit of brotherhood, we urge him to play politics without bitterness but toe the line of amicable settlement of any issue that may arise in the course of this transition.
“The Governor of Enugu state is not a thug, neither does he support violence and has never demonstrated any form of violence against anybody. Under Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi’s watch as the leader of Enugu state, nobody has been meted with violence; rather freedom of speech has been enhanced in the state with level playing grounds.
“In a nutshell, we urged the general public to disregard the false narrative of brigandage in Enugu state. It’s not true and not in the character of the Governor and good people of Enugu state who are working hard to ensure that there would be the most peaceful electoral transition process in the state.”
