2019: Nobody’s against Obi’s nomination, says Senator Egwu

The first civilian Governor of Ebonyi State, Senator Sam Egwu Sunday said that nobody is against the nomination of former governor of Anambra state, Mr Peter Obi as the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Vice Presidential candidate.

He reiterated that though the constitution allows a Presidential candidate to pick his or her running mate, adding that the annoyance of the leaders of the South-east was that they were not consulted even when there was an insinuations that some people outside the zone were consulted to choose for a credible running mate.

Egwu, who currently represents Ebonyi North at the Upper House, also stressed that the ambition of the Ebonyi state governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Sunni Ogbuorji would end in futility, waste of time and money because the political situation in the state did not favour his governorship ambition.

The former Governor however noted that Ogbuorji may be contesting for record purposes, just for him to be included as one of those who had contested for the governorship of the state, not that he would win the incumbent, David Umahi.

The Senator recalled that some senators in the National Assembly had once asked him whether his colleague, Senator Ogbuorji (Ebonyi south) would win the governorship position but the former governor answered that it was not possible unless it was in another state other than Ebonyi state.

He spoke to newsmen at his Umuebe, Ezzangbo country home in Ohaukwu LGA of Ebonyi state. He explained that North and Central zones of the state had gone for eight years each and South has gone for four years and others are waiting for the South to complete the other four years so that it will come back to their own zone.

Though he added that Ogbuorji is eminently qualified but politically, the situation on ground was such that it’s not favourable for him, stressing that anybody who is contesting election and he said he is going to do four years is not being truthful to himself.

Egwu said: “My colleagues in the National Assembly have asked me Ogbuorji is contesting governorship in your state, is he going to win? My answer to them is that Ogbuorji is contesting maybe the governor of Abia State because is not possible.

“He can’t make it. I think he wants to contest so that his name will enter the record as one of those thathas contested for governorship of Ebonyi state”.

“But look at it, north has gone for eight years. Central has gone for eight years. South has gone for four years and others are waiting for it to complete the other four years so that it will come to their own zone and then somebody is telling you he will go for four years.

It is not possible, anybody who is contesting election and he said he is going to do four years is not been truthful to himself. Ogbuorji is eminently qualified but politically, the situation on ground is such that is not favourable for him”.

Egwu who bared his minds on some of the agitations of some people who felt that their local government had not been represented, noted that it was not a deliberate action to short change anybody, but the factors that come up in politics had not favoured them to be represented in the senate.

He said that ordinarily before Abakaliki local government went for three times and Ebonyi Council area has not gone or once, not that they don’t have qualified people but it was never agreed whether “written or oral that the position would be rotating either clockwise or anti-clockwise”.

The Senator added that he has not paid anybody or group for his re-election, but it was an agreement reached by the Izzi bloc that they want me back to the national assembly in 2019.