About a fortnight ago, the Enugu state Governor, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi bowed to pressure to reposition his political structure to weigh the needed infl uence and grassroots mobilisation towards 2019 power struggle. RAPHAEL EDE reports the developments
Th e 2019 gubernatorial poll in Enugu state promises to be a fi erce battle between the incumbent Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, of the Peoples Democratic Party PDP, and contenders on the platform of other political parties, who are yet to announce their intention but have begun deft moves and intense permutations with grand defections nearly every passing week. Currently, alliance of political bed fellows are conspicuous in the atmosphere, causing political analysts to churn out predications in rapid sequence, and the general public to continuously speculate on who is the next governor of the state. Th e recent reshuffl e of his cabinet is indicative that the battle for the soul of Enugu state ahead of the 2019 elections may have begun in earnest. ;
Th at Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi is losing sleep over the battle ahead is not an exaggerated statement as he commenced reshuffl ing of cabinet to weed out those appointees found not only will undermine his chances but also have no political value as they cannot win their wards let alone their council areas considering the level of defection of high profi le members of PDP, said to be master riggers of elections to the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC. Th e fi rst set of commissioners aff ected by the sack were: Godwin Udeuhele, Commissioners for Information, Charles Ndukwe, Youth and Sport and Smart Ogbe, InterGovernmental Aff airs. Dr. Udeuhele was said to have been nominated by Deputy President of the Senate, Chief Ike Ekweremadu, but his abysmal performance as the information commissioner and considering that he is a greenhorn in politics is a major setback. He is a professional teacher. He was replaced with a veteran journalist Mr. Ogbuagu Anikwe. Until his appointment, Anikwe was the chairman, editorial board of Business Day Newspaper and had worked at various times with the Guardian and Daily Times newspapers. Th e Commissioner for Youth and Sport, Charles Ndukwe, was replaced with Joseph Udedi. Although Ndukwe is a political gladiator in Eziagu council area, his removal is not unconnected 2019: Dark clouds over Ugwuanyi’s cabinet reshuffl e Gov Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi with the abysmal performance of the Rangers International Football Club in the nation’s Premier League and continental matches. Currently, Rangers FC is fi ghting to overcome relegation in the nation’s league and this is the greatest undoing to the government. Th e Enugu State House of Assembly had on Th ursday 20th of July screened and confi rmed three commissioner nominees the governor sent to them. Th e names of the commissioner designates were presented before the Assembly on Tuesday 18th of July. But only two commissioner nominees were sworn-in during the State Executive Council meeting, and the 3rd commissioner nominee, Donatus Ani, also cleared by the assembly, was absent during the event. Although no reason have been given so far, political watchers are of the view that his absent at the swearingin has a political under tune. Th e chief press secretary to governor Ugwuanyi, Mr. Uwakwe Abugu, has disclosed in a recent statement that the change is the fi rst step by the governor to reshape his cabinet for eff ective delivery of good governance to the people. Barely two weeks later, had the governor sent three other names of commissioners nominee to the state house of Assembly for confi rmation. Th ree commissioners designates were Tuesday 1st August screened and confi rmed by the Assembly. Also confi rmed is the Enugu State Independent Electoral Commission, ENSIEC nominee, Mr. Samuel Okechukwu Ngene, former Enugu South Council Chairman. Th ose commissioner nominees confi rmed by the house were; Engr. Aloysius Sunday Ogbodo; Mr. Geoff rey Emeka Ede and Dr. Fintain Chukwunwike Ekochin. Mr. Geoff rey Edeh, was a member of the Enugu state Independent Electoral Commission, ENSIEC, before his appointment and was former council chairman of Enugu North council areas. His appointment has therefore made room for Mr. Sam Ngene to be appointed as a replacement. Th e three commissioner nominees were consequently sworn-in Friday 4th of August. As this report was being writing there is an intrigue on which each one would replace. It is believed that all the commissioners nominated by those PDP members that have decamped to APC would be replaced to avoid any vacuum. But despite the reshuffl e the APC seemed unperturbed by as the party is converting more political heavy weight in PDP to its house. Th e APC maintained that what is unfolding in Enugu is the harvest of “progressive minds aimed at wrestling power from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2019 elections in the state as well as consolidating the hold of the party in the South East zone.” Th e APC’s ongoing re-registration exercise, observers argued is putting the PDP on the edge in the state, as the political dominance that PDP has exercised since 1999 appears to be threatened with the defection of some of its members. Recently, the APC made strong inroads into PDP despite the party’s control of the state executive, legislative arms as well as the 17 local government councils where caretaker committees drawn from PDP are in charge. Most recent is the defection of the former Commissioner for Health for eight years, Dr. Simon Idike from Aku in Igbo-Etiti Council Area and Surv. Onodagu Chibuike, among others. But explaining the development the state government said the change is the fi rst step by the governor to reshape his cabinet for eff ective delivery of good governance to the people. Time will defi nitely tell whether 2019 power tussle is the soul reason for the cabinet shake up
