Nsukka Today

Who takes over from Governor Sullivan Chime of Enugu State when he leaves office on May 29, 2015? This is the question that has been agitating the people’s mind since Chime announced that his successor would come from the Nsukka zone without mentioning who he would support.

Chime made this known during a Town Hall meeting with stakeholders in Enugu in May 2013.

According to the governor, whose speech then was punctuated with thunderous applause from the audience during the meeting of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, the arrangement was for the party to pick its next flag bearer from Enugu North (Nsukka).

The governor, from the PDP which has ruled the state since 1999, hails from the Enugu West Senatorial District and would be completing his eight-year tenure of four years each in May next year.

He took over from Dr Chimaroke Nnamani who also completed eight years in office from Enugu East Senatorial District, leaving Nsukka as the only zone which has not produced a governor in the state since 1999. Chime said there is an unwritten rotational arrangement in the selection of its governorship candidates within the PDP in the state.

The state caucus of the party has since endorsed Chime’s position, as emphasised by the former Senate President, Chief Ken Nnamani, in Abuja weeks ago.

Low Level of Political Activities

However, despite the ovation which greeted the governors speech during the town hall meeting  supporting the zoning formula, no governorship aspirant from the zone has publicly declared interest in spite of the fact that several names are being touted as aspirants.

Before Chime made his declaration, many aspirants were believed to have been nursing governorship ambition. Those said to be nursing such ambition are Senator Ayogu Eze, who represents the area in the Senate, the Chairman of the PDP in the state, Chief Vita Abba, Speaker of the state House of Assembly in the last eight years, Eugene Odo, a former member of the House of Representatives, Ambassador Fidel Ayogu, the proprietor of Peace Mass Transit Company, Chief Samuel Maduka Onyishi, two members of the House of Representatives, Hon Ifeanyi Ugwanyi and Dr Pat Asadu.

Others include Prince Emeka Mamah, a scion of the Ifesinacchi dynasty, and the former Secretary to the State Government, SSG, under Chimaroke Nnamani’s regime, Dr Dan Shere.

It is believed that Chime’s proclamation that his successor would come from Nsukka zone has instead of enbolding aspirants to come forward with their programmes, doused the tempo.

An aspirant who spoke on the condition of anonymity said that some of the aspirants were showing interest to ensure that they would be remembered during the sharing of positions in the party. ‘’There is nobody in the PDP that does not know the powers of a governor produced by the party in the scheme of things. We are all waiting for whoever the governor would anoint”, he said.

Everybody waiting for Chime’s endorsement

Apart from Senator Ike Ekweremadu, the deputy Senate President,  who openly challenged Chime initially for zoning the position to Nsukka, no other politician of note has made his ambition open.

Every other political activity in Enugu is nocturnal.

Politicians would confront journalists at functions for not mentioning their names among those in the governorship race in their analysis but would not want to be quoted directly as saying they nurse such ambition. Political gladiators are watching with keen interest the political atmosphere and the body language of Chime who once said he would prefer somebody who had worked with the PDP political family to succeed him instead of outsiders.

Ebeano family factor

The former governor of the state, Nnamani, introduced the former Ebeano (the place to be) political structure under which he selected those that held positions at the state and federal levels.

It will indeed be correct to say that most political gladiators in the state today passed through the tutelage of the Ebeano god-father and they know the rules of the game.

While Nnamani held sway, it was sacrilegious for any member of the Ebeano family to struggle or aspire to any position as members waited for the leader to allocate positions to them. It was like a military formation where the most senior officer usually ‘’thinks for the rest and nobody thinks when the oga is around.’’

Chime emerged from the Ebeano political family. Others who belonged to the strange family include  Ekweremadu and  Ayogu Eze as well as all the present members of the National Assembly from the state.

Cracks in  Ebeano

However, a lot of water has passed under the Ebeano bridge in the last seven years. The cracks in the family started shortly after Chime won elections in 2007 and reached a climax when “Chimaroke  snubbed the governor at the Protea Hotel, Abuja sometime in June of the same year. Chime narrated his story:

Chimaroke invited me and pleaded that I should join his administration. I heeded the call because I wanted to contribute to the building of the state. I worked quite closely with him. At some point when the executive council was dissolved, I was the only commissioner for about a month.

No other commissioner was appointed until later. But unfortunately when it comes to some ideas, I may not always have my way. If the head doesn’t share your view, what do you do?’’

According to Chime, the situation, however, came to a head when Chimaroke invited him to Protea Hotel, Abuja, shortly after returning home after several months outside the country.

Chime stressed that on the occasion, in June 2007, his former boss invited him to his suite at Protea Hotel, Asokoro,  Abuja. He went on: “When I got there, I met him and we exchanged pleasantries. He was sitting with some other people. Before I could sit down, he got up, picked his phones and said he didn’t want to see me and that when he was ready to see me he would send for me again. I thought it was a joke. But he went inside his room. We were there still wondering what was happening.  When he came out of the room he repeated it that he was not prepared to see me.

And he walked out on me, went downstairs and entered his car. He said he would tell me when I would come to see him when he was ready. So, the other three gentlemen followed me downstairs and we even attempted to see if we could catch up with him, but by the time we got downstairs, he had driven off.

I also entered my car and drove off. That was my first meeting with my predecessor. That was someone I spoke with on phone earlier that day. I didn’t just go there; he invited me over. We agreed that I was coming. So, do you want me to force myself on him? Then, I was still fresh as governor.

He had been there as governor and knows what being a governor means. You invited me as your governor and I came. And the next thing you do is to walk out on me. How do we describe such a behaviour? It is on record that I went to meet with him. That was the treatment I got from him the first time I met him. Can you imagine the treatment, as governor? I am still waiting for him to say `I want to see you!’.

Politicians queue

However, in the last few months, there have been indications that politicians have been lining up behind Chime and Ekweremadu, who is obviously fighting to avoid being prematurely retired from politics.

Chime is said to be interested in contesting the Senate seat for Enugu East which Ekweremadu, a former local government chairman, chief of staff to the governor and Secretary to the State Government, currently occupies and, with the governorship seat already zoned out of Enugu East where he hails from, there is no other higher position for him to contest, hence he is afraid of premature retirement from public glare.

Dark horse

A dark horse may emerge as governor of the state in 2015. Although Chime has kept his preferred candidate close to his chest, whoever he eventually anoints will likely face Ekweremau’s preferred candidate. The Deputy Senate President has been spending most of his days in Enugu State at Nsukka where he is believed to be mobilising support for his candidate.

This was even as the former Minister for Information, Chief Nnia Nwodo, was quoted as asking politicians from other zones to allow Nsukka people chose a governor of their choice for the state. Nwodo spoke at a party hosted for Ekweremadu at Nsukka by one of his supporters, Mr Chinedu Onuh.

However, political developments in the last few months indicate that none of the present crop of aspirants embarking on nocturnal campaigns would occupy the Lion Building as the Enugu Government House is known.

Apart from Ekweremadu, a cold war is currently raging between the governor and those the local PDP supporters refer to as Abuja- based. The governor was alleged to have incurred the wrath of the Abuja politicians when he was quoted as saying most of them who had spent two terms would not be re-elected. Chime was said to have made the declaration in view of the zoning arrangement in most of the constituencies in the state.

If the governor’s threat sails through, it would mean that almost all the members of National Assembly would lose their positions for fresh blood, hence the no-love-lost between them and their leader in the state.

SOURCE VANGUARD

A Chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Imo State and a delegate at the ongoing National Conference, Chief Mike Ahamba SAN, has reiterated that he would not canvass or support the breakup of Nigeria at the conference.
He made this known while fielding questions from Nigeria Moment recently. He said that the Igbos would suffocate in Igbo land if Nigeria breaks up because it would lead to population explosion, food and housing crisis, job problems, etc, and that he would not support any move that would lead to the division of the country.
He added that the Igbos are the people who actually need free movement in the country because of their spread in the country. He also said that what needed to be done was to create atmosphere that would guarantee the Igbos to realize their futures where ever they are, even as he said the Igbos need to reach out to others for the best interest of their children.
He said: “They have forgotten what happened to those who ran back because of the crisis in the North: that only a week after, their relations asked them out of their homes. So, what do we do? Now, you find that if a trailer blocks the road to the North today, we will starve. We won't have tomatoes, fish and others.
“What are you separating for?
All these things will now be imported and you will have to pay duties on them. Some people don't understand this: we are the people who need free movement in Nigeria; the others don't, we do. So, why splitting the country?
“What we can do is to make it possible for every Igbo man where ever he to realize his future. We want friendship with others; we want to unclench our fist and have a handshake with others in the interest of our children who are elsewhere.
Look at all the universities all around the place! You want our children to be foreign students in those places? Because that would be the implication. The population of every university in the country today is at least 40% Igbo.
“The population of the lecturers is the same thing, and this is what you want to destroy because somebody is fanning your embers here to come back home. We will suffocate in this place. And I don't think I will support that”
He said that those castigating him for his earlier statement that he won't support Nigeria's breakup and described it as self serving, were being childish as he has always held position irrespective of his appointment as a delegate to the national Conference.
“That is a childish opinion, because I have always held that opinion before I was appointed, and I think I will defend it anywhere very successfully. You see, people hold peripheral opinion on issues: “oh! Let us separate, let us do this.” Have you planned how you will separate? You have too many Igbo men outside Igbo land, and when you take decisions you should consider them. If all these in Alaba, in Kano, everywhere in this country lose their citizenship where ever they are, it is bound to affect them economically because they will become foreigners.”
He said that the Igbos would suffer most among all the groups in the country if there is a breakup of the country today as there are not enough job opportunities to absorb the mass of the people that would return.
He said: “And of all the groups in Nigeria, the Igbo group would be the largest sufferer of such situation. Now, those at home enjoying themselves don't know what the effect would be on others, but I know. So, in Nigeria, in every state, you would find that after the indigenes of that state, the next in population is the Igbo. So, where are you going to put these people if they come back home?
“Since (Michael) Opkara, has anyone built industry here? Look at Naze Industrial Area; look at Onitsha Road Industrial Area; how many governors have come here since they were set up? Do you have anything there? And when you talk about governorship nomination people are talking about somebody who has money to give to delegates and not somebody who has a programme to create job for the people.
“That is what we are interested in. If we work to ensure that anybody who lives anywhere in Nigeria should have full citizenship rights in those places, it would be to the advantage of the Igbos instead of losing what we already have.
That is the position I take, and I think that those who oppose me do so out of ignorance. They need to understand. And I know that after my formal presentation of that case and arguing it at the National Conference, I will expose myself to some of the radio stations here and we will dialogue on it, and the person will tell me what he intends to do with those who will come back (if Nigeria divides).”

Agitation by the people of the South-East for creation of an additional state in the area to put them at par with other zones of the federation received huge support yesterday when the demand received the unanimous backing from members of the National Conference Committee on Political Reforms and Forms of Government.

Members of the committee who took turns to make submissions on the contentious matter unanimously agreed that there was need for creation of one more state in the region in the interest of justice and fair-play and to give the people of the South-East a sense of belonging.

The Political Reforms and Forms of Government Committee, however, submitted that every other region demanding the creation of more states would only get it on the basis of merit.

The 30-member committee further submitted that without prejudice to states constituting the federating unit, those that wish to merge may do so in accordance with the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria subject to three conditions, namely:

•That a majority of the two-thirds of all members in each of the Houses of Assembly of each of the states, in which such merger is proposed, support by resolution, the merger;

•That a referendum is conducted in each of the states proposing to merge with 75 per cent of the eligible voters in each of those states approving of the merger; and

•That each House of the National Assembly, by resolution passed by a simple majority of membership of each of the Houses, approve of the merger.

Addressing journalists after the committee adjourned its sitting yesterday, the chairman, Gen. Ike Nwachukwu (rtd.), said by supporting the creation of an additional state in the South-East, delegates have shown that everyone can have a win-win situation.

He said: “I must thank my committee members for their maturity and ability to discern the needs of Nigerians to have more states based on merit, particularly the South-East, thereby bringing the zone at par with others.

“I want to indeed say to my colleagues that they have shown great understanding and they believe in a win-win option. That is the spirit we should maintain in this Conference.

“At the end of the day, we will be recommending that there should be equality of states in the various zones of the country, and then allowing the zones that have agitations across the country to decide which state should be created.

“Those who make the request for the creation of more states do so because they feel marginalised where they are.”

Before arriving at the resolution ahead of the commencement of debates, the committee had proceeded on a five-minute coffee break following a motion by Dr. Abubakar Saddique Mohammed ostensibly to allow the delegates and members of the committee to confer with each other.

At the resumption of session, Chief Gary Enwo-Igariwey while making a case for the South-East, pointed out that the zone which had only five states among the 36 in the country stood at a disadvantage which, according to him, was a great challenge to the people of the area.

“We don’t want to be more than other zones; we just want to be like others. I appeal to this committee to strongly take into consideration the need to bring the South-East at par with other zones in this country,” he said.

Senator Femi Okurounmu, in his argument, said there should be creation of more states to meet growing demands.

He said there should be the same number of states in every zone in the spirit of fairness. He, however, warned delegates to be mindful in order to avoid the abuse of the process.

Binta Masi Garba advocated for the creation of Amana State in the North. She also supported the creation of an additional state in the South-East in the spirit of fairness.

Chief Benjamin Elue from Delta State, while supporting the call for the creation of an additional state in the South-East, begged delegates to consider the long agitation of the Igbo-speaking people in his state who want their own state. He said Anioma State should be carved out of the present Delta State in the interest of justice.

Senator Ahmed Aruwa argued that it was outside the purview of the committee to create a state.

He said the panel could only make recommendations and create an enabling environment for those agitating for more states to have their way. He said the South-East zone deserves an additional state based on merit.

Yinka Odumakin said states have become tenants to the Federal Government. He said states must have the capacity to look inward and create its own revenue base instead of becoming slaves to the Federal Government. He said the practice where governors come to Abuja at the end of every month to collect salaries must be discouraged.

Lawrence Agubuzu, a South-East delegate, said every region should get an additional state. He, however, argued that in the new arrangement, his region should be given two states. He said the creation of additional states in the six geo-political zones will create a better balance.

Also fielding questions at the end of session, co-Chairman of the committee, Mohammed Ukara Kumalia, said in the interest of justice and fair-play, the South-East should be given an additional state.

He said every other region agitating for more states must be given based on merit. He said this is needed in order to avoid abuse of the process.

He said that genuine demands for the creation of states from all the other zones will be looked into and disclosed that decisions will be taken based on the merit of such demands looking at their viability, contiguity and a host of other factors that usually determine the creation of states.

Kumalia further disclosed that the committee will revisit the issue of local council creation next week, and specifically address other elements such as the mode of funding, among others.

Meanwhile, members of the Conference Committee on Political Matters have agreed to expunge the contentious immunity clause for the president, his vice, governors and their assistants from the constitution.

They, however, gave an exception to the rule, adding that in case of civil offences, the president, vice, governor and his deputy are protected by the law.    

The delegates argued that detractors might take advantage of the removal of the immunity clause to institute unnecessary civil cases against executives.

In a related development, members of Conference Committee on Judiciary want the government to separate the office of the Attorney-General of the Federation from that of the Minister of Justice.

If this recommendation is adopted by the general house during the adoption of committees’ reports, years of agitation by lawyers and other activists who have persistently called for the separation would have succeeded.

The judiciary committee also recommended that the government should create constitutional courts across the 36 states of the federation and the FCT, similar to Wednesday’s recommendations that Supreme Courts should be created in all the 36 states of the federation.

•Pieced together from separate reports in The Guardian. Photo showsChairman of National Conference Committee on Political Reforms and Forms of Government, Ike Nwachukwu.

Source News Express

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Enugu State has announced the recall of the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Amechi Okolo and two commissioners who were suspended from the party in January.

The recalled commissioners are Chijioke Agu, Commissioner for Sports and Dr. Jude Akubuilo, Commissioner for Commerce and Industry.

Others are two Special Advisers to the governor, Sunny Agu and O.A.U Onyeama.

Chairman of the PDP in Udi Local Government Area, Uche Ogbodo, who addressed a press conference in Enugu yesterday said it was in compliance with the decisions and directives of the National Working Committee (NWC)of the party. Ogbodo also announced the withdrawal of a law suit between Uche Ogbodo and the PDP, instituted in the wake of the crisis in the party in Udi Local Government Area.

He thanked the National Working Committee for resolving the issues in the Udi L.G.A PDP stating that he now has more confidence and is re-invigorated to lead the party to greater success in the next elections.

The suspension of the key government personalities by Ogbodo in January led to a lot of controversies as the governor’s men announced his removal as party local government chairman.

But in a letter from the National Working Committee of PDP dated April 14th and signed by National Secretary Prof. Wale Oladipo the NWC called for all suspensions to be lifted and for the chairman to withdraw his court suit within 14 days.

The letter which was addressed to National Vice Chairman PDP South East and copied to Udi and Enugu PDP chairmen the NWC noted that it will hold a meeting Ekweremadu and Chime to resolve all issues.

 Culled: SUN

Despite the Enugu State government’s warning to traditional rulers in the state not to give chieftaincy titles to anyone until December 31 this year, Oduma community in Aninri local government area of the state over the weekend conferred a chieftaincy title on the deputy senate president, Senator Ike Ekweremadu.

Unknown to most people in religiously divided Nigeria, the best Islamic secondary school in the country is not located in the Muslim-dominated North but in the largely Christian South-East, specifically in Afikpo, Ebonyi State.

Now there are plans to turn the school, known as Islamic Centre, Afikpo, into an Islamic University. This was disclosed by Sheikh Daud Nwagui, the Headmaster of the primary section of the school, who told the Daily Trustnewspaper: “We hope to turn the school into a university, that is a university of Islamic studies. There is no school like this in the whole of the South-East.”

The hilly Afikpo town boasts the highest number of Igbo Muslims in the South-East, followed by the university town of Nsukka in neighbouring Enugu State. The Islamic Centre, Afikpo, was founded by Sheikh Ibrahim Okpani Nwagui, the father of the present headmaster, who brought Islam to Afikpo in 1958.

According to Sheikh Daud Nwagui, his late father embraced Islam in Senegal and promptly introduced the religion to his people when he returned to Nigeria in 1958.

“From that time a lot of people in the vicinity were turning to Islam. He was a very sincere person, and he was like this till his very last days. He was the founder of the Islamic Centre, Afikpo,” he said, adding: “This centre was set up in 1965 to propagate Islam generally. This is the best Islamic secondary school in the nation, and students come from all over the country, including Abuja.”

The Islamic Centre, Afikpo, has a primary and a secondary section. There are 450 pupils in the primary section, while the secondary section has some 500 pupils. Students write the NECO and SSCE examinations, just like other students in Nigerian secondary schools. The school has three boarding houses. A computer laboratory is under construction at the school.

Sheikh Daud Nwagui told Daily Trust that there is a special focus on Arabic as a language, on Islamic studies, physics, English Language, Biology, Chemistry, English Literature, Mathematics and Igbo. This, he explained, assists in producing a crop of rounded pupils.

The headmaster disclosed that graduates of the school have risen to prominent positions in the society. Many, he said, have done well in the areas of medicine, some are in the armed forces, also in engineering, and many have risen to become Chief Imams in many states of the federation.

Some graduates, Sheikh Daud Nwagui disclosed, are outside the country and doing very well in places such as Pakistan and India.

On challenges which the school has faced over the years, Sheikh Nwagui said that some form of challenge has come from those he described as ‘religious fanatics in the neighbourhood’ but quickly added: “But from the government of the state we are covered. The government gives us a lot of support.”

•Photo shows Sheikh Daud Nwagui, brainchild behind the proposed Islamic University to be sited in Afikpo, Ebonyi State.

Source News Express

A child bride forced into marriage in Nigeria killed a groom and three of his friends with a poisoned meal, police said Thursday.

Fourteen-year-old Wasila Umaru was married last week to 35-year-old Umaru Sani, according to assistant superintendent Musa Magaji Majia.

Over the weekend, the groom invited a dozen friends to celebrate at his Ungwar Yansoro village, about 100 kilometers (60 miles) from the northern city of Kano.

The teenager told police she bought rat poison at a village market and used it to prepare a dish of rice.

"The suspect confessed to committing the crime and said she did it because she was forced to marry a man she did not love," Majia told The Associated Press.

The groom and a friend died the same day, and two other victims died later in the hospital.

Umaru is cooperating with police and likely will be charged with culpable homicide, according to Majia.

Child marriage is common in Nigeria and especially in the mainly Muslim and impoverished north, where the numbers increase in times of drought because a bride price is paid and it means one less mouth to feed. Fifty percent of Nigerian girls living in rural areas are married before they turn 18, according to the U.N. children's agency. That's a lot of child brides in a country of some 170 million people of whom half are under 18.

Child brides often suffer difficult pregnancies — the leading cause of death worldwide for girls aged 15 to 19 — and are much more likely to contract AIDS and be subjected to domestic violence, according to the International Center for Research on Women.

Early and forced marriage is classified as modern-day slavery by the U.N. labor organization, and Nigeria's Child Rights Act prohibits marriage before 18. But that federal law competes with Islamic Shariah law that holds in most northern states.

No one in Nigeria has been prosecuted for marrying a child, including Sen. Sani Ahmed Yerima, infamous for divorcing a 17-year-old that he married when she was 15 so he could marry a 14-year-old Egyptian girl in 2010, when he was 49. He had to divorce one of his child brides because Islamic law allows a maximum of four wives at a time.

Many child brides are divorced, for that reason and because of incontinence and other medical problems caused by difficult pregnancies, according to local child rights advocates who say such girls are put out on the street.

---

Faul contributed to this story from Lagos, Nigeria.

Culled Abc News

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has expressed readiness to offer free technical assistance to the All Progressive Congress (APC) on how to organise itself in a democratic setting.

This is contained in a statement issued by Mr Olisa Metuh, the party`s National Publicity Secretary on Monday in Abuja.

He said that such assistance would include the conduct of transparent and credible congress following APC`s last weekend postponed ward congress.

“We know the history of this party and the pedigree of its leaders will hardly yield to democracy, but we are confident that our assistance is handy here”, he said.

Metuh recalled that the PDP had held successful congresses and national conventions where party members were allowed level play ground to pursue their ambitions irrespective of sectional, religious and ethnic affiliations.

He described as a huge embarrassment to democracy, APC ward congress at the weekend.

It added that “it is an irony that a party that daily claims it is on a mission to rescue Nigeria could not conduct its own congress.

“The APC chairmen in Rivers, Plateau, Bauchi and the FCT announced the postponement of the exercise in their states.’’ the statement said.

According to him, the situation is so bad that the congress was cancelled in Adamawa and Katsina while in Kano and Sokoto, there was no voting.

Metuh said it was so because both states chose their ward officials via a “strange consensus’’ option.

Metuh said it was unfortunate that APC that asked for the resignation of INEC board, over the conduct of Anambra governorship elections due to slight hitches experienced in the exercise, could not organise its congress.

He said that the APC had no business in a democracy adding that it should be honourable enough to commence the process of its own disbandment, having experienced massive hitches in its congress (NAN)

Governors of the South East geo-political zone yesterday met in Enugu behind closed doors apparently to put finishing touches to arrangements for the proposed visit of President Goodluck Jonathan to the zone on Friday, April 11, 2014.

Anambra State governor Willy Obiano, Enugu State governor Sullivan Chime, Ebonyi State governor Martin Elechi and governor of the South East Governors’ Forum and Abia State governor Theodor Orji attended the meeting which took place at Enugu Government House Lodge.

Although the governors refused to disclose their resolutions to journalists, a competent source told LEADERSHIP that they discussed how they would give President Jonathan a befitting welcome.

LEADERSHIP gathered that president,  who is expected to be in Enugu on Friday this week for the South East Zonal Rally of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)Rally, might use the opportunity to talk with some aggrieved members of the party in the South East that have defected to opposition parties.

Meanwhile, ahead of the 2015 general elections, All Progressives Congress (APC) has set a target to take over Enugu State Government House, popularly known as Lion Building.

Speaking with journalists in Enugu yesterday, chairman of the Congress Committee in Enugu, Hon. Uche Onyeagocha, insisted that APC was not only prepared to make an impact in Enugu State in 2015, but had set a target to take over the Lion Building from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

He stated that it was wrong for anybody to assume that APC had no ground in Enugu State, adding that the party had seasoned politicians who had contested elections at the national, state and local government level, but lost because security agencies aided PDP to rig the elections.

“We have people like Okechukwu Ideke. We have people like General J.O.J Okoloagu. We have people like Osita Okechukwu. These are people who have contested several elections but only lost because they were rigged out and we have many more who are still coming in, who have obtained membership cards.

Culled Leadership

ABUJA — FORMER Senate President, Nnamani Ken, has disclosed that the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, will fill a candidate for governorship of Enugu State in the 2015 general election from the northern part of the state.

Nnamani said all stakeholders in the party from the state had already reached a consensus that Governor Sullivan Chime’s successor should emerge from Enugu North senatorial zone.

The former Senate President, who is a delegate at the ongoing National Conference, told newsmen, yesterday, that settling for someone from that part of the state was aimed at ending the controversy surrounding the 2015 governorship election in Enugu State.

He said the development was the outcome of a reconciliatory meeting among PDP stakeholders in the state.

He said:  “Enugu State does not seem to have any succession problem because we have a conventional understanding that when Enugu East completed its eight years, it went to Enugu West and after Enugu West, it is only proper that governorship power should go to Enugu North. It is not written anywhere, but it is conventional.

Culled: The VANGUARD

First was Sen. Ike Ekeremadu's thesis: “There is no zoning in Enugu. I am not aware and nobody is aware". But now comes Gov. Chime Sullivan's Antithesis: "That going by an internal arrangement of the PDP, it is the turn of Nsukka to produce the next governorship candidate of the party". As we await a synthesis of these polemics, one thing is certain and that is:

His death was one that sent cold shivers down the spine of many considering his status. 

Yes if a commissioner of police can be easily murdered in that manner, then what is the fate of hapless citizens who carry out their day to day activities without the kind of privileged security enjoyed by the slain Kwara State Commissioner of police?

Maybe we just have to take solace in the biblical psalmist exhortation that "If the Lord doesn't watch over a city, it's useless for those on guard duty to stand watch over" ( Palms 127 : 1) Ultimately, God is OUR SECURITY.

Back to the matter. Even as investigations into the perceived murder of Commissioner of Police were still inconclusive,  the remains of the late police chief  was commuted to mother earth on 13th April 2013.

On that day, I had boarded I bike from Zik' Flat by the Second gate of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka to St Victor's Catholic Parish, Onuyi where the funeral mass was taking place. 

In the course of the 2 minutes ride, I engaged the bike in a conversation as to what manner of man the deceased Commissioner of police was but to my great surprise the bikeman told me the the deceased CP was relatively unknown.

That was not the end of the story. At the venue proper, I sourced for information from people close by and the responses were same as that of the bike-man. I just couldn't really comprehend how  such a highly place son of the soil will remain unknown to his own people.

Still want to know what manner of man the deceased was and more importantly, what he did especially to his down trodden people. Anyone with useful information should volunteer.