By Okwudili Edeh

Although Governor Sullivan Chime, who is getting much more than he bargained for in Enugu State PDP’s political debacle, tried to sound conciliatory in Sunday Vanguard of November 23, 2014, entitled, “Chime on 2015: I Have No Personal Squabbles with Anybody; We Simply Want Proper Things Done”, it is clear that sound judgement and true sober reflections are yet to prevail. The publication, which is a transcript of the governor’s address during a recent meeting with Enugu PDP stakeholders loyal to him, is sadly fraught with the usual tales by moonlight, blame trading, chest thumping, and harvest of lies.

It was a highly diluted version devoid of Chime’s widely talked about biles at the meeting.

For instance, defending his “consensus arrangement” (twin brother of imposition) for all elective positions, he reportedly claimed, rather sarcastically, that what he was doing in Enugu PDP was not different from what happened in Abuja where the red carpet was, according to him, rolled out to coronate one man as PDP’s sole presidential candidate.

Hoping and nursing the illusion at the time that the PDP would annul the Enugu PDP ward congresses like other states on that same day, he further boasted that it was a lie that he agreed at a meeting with President Jonathan not to run for the Enugu West senatorial district. He insisted that Enugu was for Enugu people and Bayelsa for Bayelsans.

Two, I do not agree with Chime that he is fighting godfatherism in Enugu politics or that he had conducted four local council elections where he had allowed the people to choose their leaders. To start with, Chime is a product of godfatherism. It is common knowledge that he became governor in 2007, not because he had the open ambition let alone the structure or clouts, but simply because former Governor Chimaroke Nnamani anointed him. He cannot therefore wish away the fact that he is the political godson of Ebeano.

Meanwhile, even the last local councils (s)election (2013) was the worst since 1999 because numerous chairmanship aspirants were allowed to pay various fees, only for the governor and party executives to sit in the Enugu Government House to list names, which were sent to the Enugu State Independent Electoral Commission (ENSIEC) for a mere confirmation exercise called election.

I also disagree with Chime that “we’re having similar challenges today like it happened in 2010/2011 because some of our brothers and sisters (in the National Assembly) now want to go contrary to the agreements we had earlier (on zoning and distribution of elective positions)”. What agreements? Is that the Enugu West senatorial seat should be zoned from Greater Awgu to Udi/Ezeagu to bring it closer home for his grab? Is it that the Udi/Ezeagu House of Reps seat must leave Ezeagu to Udi (his home) so that his son-in-law (husband of his first daughter) could grab it, while Ezeagu people go empty-handed like Aaron? Is it that the Enugu East senatorial seat must be dashed to his former Chief of Staff and his clan’s sister married to Nkanu man, Mrs. Ifeoma Nwobodo? Or is it his efforts to replace the House of Reps member representing Enugu South/North (Hon. Ofor Chukwuegbo) with his cousin, Chime Oji? Is it about his design to replace Hon. Kingsley Ebenyi of Enugu East/Isiuzo Federal Constituency with his brother-in-law, Prince Cornelius Nnaji.

There was never a time that it was agreed that all ranking members of the National Assembly from Enugu State must retire to make way for Chime and his men.

It is important to sound it that Chime’s return to the negotiation table with the Ekweremadu’s camp was because he was boxed to a corner. If he was disposed to peace, he would not have repeatedly sought to impose Ikeje Asogwa as the Acting Chairman of the Enugu PDP against the party’s constitution, the PDP national leadership’s directives, and subsisting court rulings. He would not have queued behind an imposed Chairman for the ward congresses, only to turn back to claim there were no ward congresses on November 1, 2014. Indeed, he would not have backed out of the initial peace efforts brokered by the President to seek to undo the ward congresses and undermine Elder David Aja as Acting Chairman, only to return to the negotiation table like the prodigal son after he has been dazed by the Ekweremadu camp in various courts. Pray, what man makes peace with a cudgel in his hand?

Chime’s last-minute desperation to get Jonathan to reactivate the peace process after he breached the initial pacts and lost on all fronts is pure blackmail, especially knowing that he would never have allowed anybody near the sharing table if he had had his way. Nevertheless, while it will be discourteous for Ekweremadu’s camp not to listen to the President and be magnanimous in victory, they had better be careful in dealing with a man who talks peace with a cudgel in hand. 2015 is still a long way.

• Edeh writes from Enugu