Enugu LG Election and Needless Nsukka Protest

I have followed with keen interest the needless and sponsored protest in Nsukka recently by some hired crowd against the Nsukka Peoples Democratic Party stakeholders’ consensus choice of Mr. Patrick Omeje (Jnr) as the party’s candidate in the February 29 council election in the state. The rented protesters, who claimed to be aggrieved PDP members in the council area, stirred up a hornet’s nest when they burnt down the party’s headquarters at the Nsukka.

In a bid to bring the tensed atmosphere under control, the stakeholders of the Peoples Democratic Party in Nsukka Local Government Area have apologised to Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi over the unwarranted protest by some aggrieved members of the party.

Addressing newsman shortly after their meeting in Nsukka, Mr. Chinedu Nwamba, member representing Nsukka East Constituency in the State House of Assembly, said the meeting was convened to review the ugly events in the area.

Nwamba, who spoke on behalf of the other stakeholders, said that the stakeholders condemned the protest and burning down of the party’s office by some miscreants on January 18.

While the stakeholders’ action is highly commendable and a step in the right direction, they should have done more by naming and shaming those behind the protest. They are not spirit. They are known and operate within the party as moles.

If not, why do they sponsored a protest after being part and parcel of the party’s consensus arrangement that produced Hon. Patrick Omeje jnr as the party’s candidate for the election, only to turn around few days after to covertly sponsored a protest against a decision they had earlier endorsed.

Investigating and analysing the whole scenario, one needs no soothsayer to know that the sponsors of this shameful and needless protest against the party’s decision on the consensus candidate are desperate politicians who want the chairmanship seat by all means, even when their popularity and acceptance among party members are nothing to write home about. If they are popular as they would want the public to believe, why not defect to another party and test their popularity, instead of instigating unwarranted crisis by sponsoring protest by proxy.

Naming and shaming the sponsors and possibly prosecuting the protesters they hired for arson will serve as deterrent to others. It is obvious that some mischief makers and hypocrites masquarading as PDP members in Nsukka Local Government Area are taking advantage of Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi’s consultative, peaceful and participatory style of governance and politics to overrate their political value and influence in the area. That is too bad of them. It is either they are not good students of Enugu and PDP politics and leadership in the state since 1999 or they are mere hypocrites and paperweight politicians with no value.

Lest we may have forgotten, since 1999, consensus arrangement to arrive at candidates for elective positions has been synonymous with the PDP both at the state and national levels. Enugu is not different. In short before Ugwuanyi’s emergence as governor in 2015, party stakeholders in the state have limited or minimal input or contribution on who becomes the party’s candidate for any elected or appointive position.

The practice then was that immediately the Lion in the Lion Building Government House Enugu in the person of the elected governor roared, everyone Dick and Harry in the party will keep quiet and be attentive to take directive from the Lion on what to do. It is at the governor’s behest that few party stakeholders could be allowed or invited to make contributions at party’s critical decision-making. Then, the governor ’s decisions or words on any issue is binding on the party faithful because he is not only the party leader, he is the face of the party both in the state and at the national level.

But immediately Ugwuanyi assumed office, he jettisoned and demystified the myth that surrounds elected governor in Nigeria and makes his government more participatory, accessible and consultative. He does not only engage or interface with party stakeholders and leaders in virtually every issue that has to do with party politics and governance, he ensures that the final outcome of such decisions are reflective of their contributions. Ugwuanyi throws wide open the gate of Lion Building Enugu, party faithful and residents troop in and out of it everyday, inclusive of weekends to dialogue and brainstorm with the governor on issues affecting them.

This unique governance style of Governor Ugwuanyi has given the Ndi Enugu sense of belonging in the affairs of the state. That was how party faithful with no godfather and godmother became recognised and rewarded in the party after many years of making meaning contributions and support to the party with nothing to show for it. Mostly favoured in this direction are youths and the women at the grassroot level. This has not gone down well with some entrenched godfathers in the party that have oppressed members for years now.

It was this same consultative and participatory style of Ugwuanyi’sadministration that the governor used in engaging party stakeholders in 17 council areas in the state before they happily and unanimously arrived at consensus party candidates for the February 29, 2020 local government election in the state.

And if one may ask, what is undemocratic and illegal about political party adopting consensus arrangement to arrive at choice of their candidates in an election?

Absolutely nothing. The arrangement has reduced drastically intra party crisis that usually characterised and trailed pre and post primary and election crises. So why the hullabaloo and fuss about the Nsukka PDP stakeholders’consensus arrangement that produced Hon. Patrick Omeje jnr as the party’s chairmanship candidate for the forthcoming local government election?

Why? Why didn’t those that later sponsored protest against his choice object publicly to the decision when it was taken by the majority among them? Is not surprising that out of the 17 council areas in the state, where the PDP stakeholders and party leadership made choice of thier consensus candidates for the council election, it was only in Nsukka that some few party leaders sponsored protest against the exercise? This has showed clearly that the protest has the hand of Esau and voice of Jacob.

By their ignominious act, they have shown that they are not mature enough poitically and they are cowards. It is clear that neither the party candidate for Nsukka Council Area, Hon. Patrick Omeje jnr nor the PDP faithful in Nsukka is intimidated or baffled by the antics of those behind the protest. This is especially when it is known that their major aim was to discredit the arrangement, probably draw the sympathy of the people and attention of the state government.

Unfortunately for them, neither the state government nor majority of the people in Nsukka are interested in their shadowchasing and selfish protest, having known that the process of arriving at the PDP consensus candidates in 17 council areas of the state was peacefully and legally concluded without any hitches, by the party leadership and stakeholders in line with the party constitution and traditions.