By Dennis Agbo

..Opens up on PDP, Ekweremadu
..His 8-year rule, Gov Ugwuanyi, EFCC probe

ENUGU—IMMEDIATE past Governor of Enugu State, Mr. Sullivan Chime has finally broken his long silence and formally announced his decision to defect to the All Progressives Congress, APC.

Chime who was governor of Enugu State on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, made the disclosure, Tuesday, during a press conference in Enugu.

Chime also opened up on a lot of issues that had bothered people about him, his administration, his dumping of the PDP, his predecessor and successor, why he is defecting to the APC, the EFCC case and his fears about 2019 elections.

As gov and out of office

*Chime

Chime said a lot has been said about him, even while he was in office and much more while he is out of office. He said: “It was so because most of the stories were sponsored by other people. I decided to stay away from politics but events have forced me out of retirement. A lot happened before I announced my resignation from the PDP.

On PDP

“The party  no longer exists as a political party. It was so badly run down; mismanaged, abandoned its constitution and is now dead. It has two chairmen and it is now a party without leadership. So it’s no longer a functional party, it’s now moribund.

“People have said all kinds of things about me but I had the privilege of handing over to my successor. At the end of my tenure, other people, not only party members, gathered from the three senatorial zones in Enugu State in my village to say thank you for a job well done.”

He recalled that his successor, Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, also attended all the ceremonies. “They prayed that my successor continued the way I governed but since I announced my exit from the PDP, I’ve been branded a total failure because people think I want to go to the Senate and they feel it’s best to bring me down. Nobody now says how well I governed the state.”

On Ekweremadu

Chime alleged that the Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, at a function in Aninri Local Government of the state “shamelessly” accused him of marginalizing the people of the area in appointments but he insisted numerous appointments were made from Aninri when he was governor.

“I was guided by the federal character principle in every appointment I made as governor. I made not less than three permanent secretaries from Aninri but because I decided to leave politics, people now tell all sort of stupid lies. If Ekweremadu has nothing good to say about me, he should shut up.”

Chime also alleged that the meeting of some of his Udi kinsmen, who spoke ill words against him was sponsored.

His defection to APC

The ex-governor disclosed that he had made consultations with all the structures of the APC in the state, who assured him of a place in the party.

He said: “They are excited having me and I am excited having them too. APC is the only viable party that can take you to a destination and we pray it doesn’t end like the PDP.

“It is the only national party and it is not a local party. So on May 6, 2017, I will formally be registered as a member of APC. I didn’t leave PDP because of any misunderstanding, I had no misunderstanding with anybody and I ask all and sundry to embrace peace and not violence.

“They tried to stop me but it’s now an open thing. I am entitled to belong to any party I wish to join. I don’t have any party again or PDP to apologize to. This is the time to formally deregister from PDP. A party that no longer plays by the rules should be deregistered.”

On EFCC

Chime said he had only one matter with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, which he said is the commission’s probe of the PDP campaign fund allocated to Enugu State. He noted that his only involvement was approval of the disbursement of the fund as recommended by the state’s party campaign office.

He said it was laughable that one of the officials of the state PDP campaign office, Mrs. Rita Mba, initially denied involvement in the money, only to turn around to claim she peeped to see the full list of how the fund was disbursed.

“It is not because of EFCC or that I want to run for Senate that I am joining the APC. It’s not personal but for public interest. People have been joining the APC and I am joining. I am not contesting for any election for now,” he said.

He condemned the skirmishes brewing between the PDP and APC in the state and asked people to stay away from political rallies that they don’t belong to.

“We are not in APC to fight anybody but in 2019, if  things continue this way, APC will win Enugu state but I may not know the candidates now, ” he said.

Ugwuanyi ‘s govt

Chime said he ran a responsible and prudent administration as a governor and that by the end of his tenure, the Federal Government owed the state.

He said: “The refund that the state government is talking about today  is what I left. The Federal Government owed the state N40 billion before I left. On roads alone, it was N25 billion and there is the Paris Club debt.”

He said he would not criticize any government but noted that when he came in as governor in 2007, civil servants in the state were owed three months’  arrears. He said the government before his had taken an overdraft in May 2007, leaving him with nothing to kick-start his administration then.

“But I maintained payment of salaries on every 25th from then till May 2015 when I left office,” he said.

On Chimaroke Nnamani

He said he would not want to discuss his predecessor, Dr. Chimaroke Nnamani, on the pages of newspapers but said “he invited me into politics; he dusted me and made me governor. He is my friend and I never had personal issues with him. Yes, we had issues but they  were  political because he left PDP and whatever differences, they were political.”