Enugu 2015 guber race: Gov Chime picks Ugwuanyi

Governor Sullivan Chime of Enugu State surprised many people of Enugu Stae on Friday when his much anticipated preferred candidate to succeed was announced.
He is Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, who currently represents Igboeze North and Udenu Federal Constituency, in the House of Representatives.
Ugwuanyi popularly known as Gburugburu is the Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Maritime.
Many pundits were cut unawares by the choice as he was hardly mentioned among the top possible favorites of Governor Chime for that office.
It was learnt that Governor Chime had called a PDP caucus meeting of the Enugu North Senatorial zone (Nsukka zone) where the governorship slot has been zoned to in order to avoid ran- cour in the selection of a candidate.
At the meeting, Amb. Fidel Ayogu moved a motion for the adoption of Ugwuanyi, which was seconded by a one-time deputy governor of the state, Chief Okechukwu Itanyi.
A source at the meeting told Saturday Sun that the governor then asked the other 12 aspirants who were at the meeting if they had a contrary opinion and none said yes.
But another source said that some, including the Speaker of Enugu State House of Assembly, Hon Eugene Odo, who himself is an aspirant, voiced his opposition to the governor’s position.
. The source said that Ugwuanyi would be presented to the PDP caucuses in the two other senatorial zones after which he would be presented to the state caucus for endorsement.
Indication that the dice was falling the way of Ugwuanyi came last week when Governor Chime and other PDP stake- holders returned from Abuja, where they met with top party officials.
It was also gathered that Ugwuayi topped the list as he was said to be neu- tral in the fight between Chime and the Deputy Senate President Chief Ike Ekweremadu, and would not to pose any problem in the two camps struggling for power in the state.
Some aspirants from the zone who did not want to be named are said to be unpleased by the development, and may have decided to test the waters against the governors.