From: Madu Ezenoha, Enugu
Two business moguls; Emperor Baywood Ibe and Chief Emeka Ani, popularly called “Emeka Wawa” have boasted that they would team up and pool resources together to run the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) out of Enugu state in 2019.
They vowed that they must break the cycle of the state being a one-party state since 1999.
Ibe and Ani made the vow when the latter, who was a former chieftain of PDP in the state, defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
On his part, the new APC chieftain, Ani, who is also known as “Ezeaku” (King of wealth), boasted that despite Enugu state being currently in the hands of PDP and the Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu also still a member of PDP from the state, his party, the APC, would surely take over the state in 2019.
Chief Ani said that with the exodus of high caliber former PDP politicians and their sympathizers into APC, taking the state in 2019 would not pose any serious challenge for the party.
Fielding questions from journalists, Ani said that he defected to APC because of the anti corruption crusade of the administration, and the party’s determination to change a lot of things in the country.
“It is not a problem for APC taking over the government in Enugu state. You saw what happened in Nigeria before; Jonathan was the President of Nigeria, he is a PDP member; but still APC collected the government from PDP. So it is still going to happen in Enugu,” he said.
He urged the federal government and the breakaway agitators or those for restructuring to tow the path of dialogue, saying; “sometimes father and son fight, and mother and father fight; so it doesn’t matter about the fight we are having now. I know with time everything will be resolved. We are having a meeting here and there, I think the only solution is going to be dialogue and I believe that dialogue is going to solve the problem.”
On his part, Emperor Baywood Ibe, a well known party financier, said he would put his personal resources at the disposal of APC and team up with the likes of “Eze-Aku” to chase PDP out of Enugu state.
Other party leaders present at the defection ceremony at Ugbawka, Nkanu East local government area include; Chairman of APC in the state, Dr. Ben Nwoye; national vice chairman of the party in the South East, Chief Emma Eneukwu; chairman of the contact and mobilization committee of the party in the state, Chief Gbazuagu Nweke Gbazuagu; guber candidate of the party in the 2015 general elections, Chief Okey Ezea; former military administrator of Gombe State, Group Capt. Joe Oji; and former national secretary of PDP, Chief Rex Onyeabor.
The APC chieftains commended Chief Ani for taking a wise decision in joining the APC now, noting that it might be too late for others by the end of December this year.
The zonal vice chairman, Eneukwu said APC was the only shortcut for the Igbo to the presidency of Nigeria, saying that after President Muhammadu Buhari’s eight year term in 2023, it would be the turn of
Ndigbo to produce Nigeria’s president.
