Enugu guber race 2015: Why Ugwuanyi was chosen

Former National Chairman of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Dr. Okwesilieze Nwodo, has given an insight into the reasons that swayed the pendulum for the Peoples democratic Party candidate for coming 2015 elections the way of the Hon Ifeany Ugwuanyi.
According to Nwodo, who spoke on Sunday, the Zone in consult with Governor Sullivan Chime settled for Ugwuanyi as a result of a determination of the zone to produce candidate that has unifying tendencies.
Ugwuanyi is said to have played suave in the political altercations between Governor Chime and the Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu, which had split the state.
The state since its creation in 1991 has operated a rotational policy, where the seat of the state chief executive rotated round the three senatorial zones in the state.
In that spirit, the PDP in Enugu state had last year formally zoned the governorship ticket to Enugu North (Nsukka zone), as the Enugu East and Enugu West had produced governors between 1999 to 2015. while Chimaraoke Nnamani hails from Nkanu in Enugu East, Sullivan Chime hails from Udi in Enugu West.
Stakeholders of the PDP caucus mainly drawn from Enugu North senatorial zone had last Friday night endorsed the candidacy of Ugwuanyi for the governorship election after a three-hour closed door meeting held at the instance of the governor at the Government House.
As a result of the choice, atleast 10 frontline governorship aspirants from Nsukka zone have offered to step in other to line behind Ugwuanyi.
Ugwuanyi strength the fact that he is bridge builder who is capable of pulling together all the divisive forces in the state.
Other prominent aspirants for the post included the chairman of the PDP in the state, Engr. Vita Abba, a former Deputy Governor of the state, Chief Okechukwu Itanyi, Senator Ayogu Eze, Hon. Pat Asadu, Prince Mathew Agu, Amb. Fidel Ayogu, Prof. Osita Ogbu, Chief Ikeje Asogwa, Prof. Simon Ortuanya and Dan Onyishi.
Political pundits believe that Mr. Ugwuanyi is as good being elected governor as the PDP holds an unquestional dominance in the state.
The meeting that produced Ugwuanyi was said to have been attended by at least 90 notable chieftains of the party including members of the party’s working committee, Board of Trustees, commissioners, national and state lawmakers, elders, council chairmen and their deputies from the zone.
Some of them included former national chairman of PDP, Dr. Okwesilieze Nwodo, chairman of the senate committee on works, Senator Ayogu Eze, Chief Fidelis Okoro, Ambassador Fidel Ayogu, state PDP chairman, Chief Vita Abba, elder stateswoman and former member of the House of Representatives, Chief (Mrs.) Justina Eze, and chairman of the PDP in that zone, Chief Mike Ejinima.
A stakeholder at the meeting on Friday was quoted as saying that the other main attraction for the choice of Ugwuanyi who is a member of National Assembly member is that it is likely to reduce what was feared as a formidable force-base being built by the federal legislators to fight the governor over the 2015 sensitive matters”.