By Chukwudi Ugwunna
Mr Bob Ogbuagu Anikwe is the immediate past Commissioner for Information in Enugu state. He was possibly recommended into Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi’s government by the then deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, who is a major stakeholder in the state and from the same senatorial zone, Enugu West with Anikwe.
By this, Anikwe could be best described as Ekweremadu’s lackey or boy in government. He is not the only one though. There are others like him.
After Ugwuanyi’s reelection in 2019, Anikwe was not reappointed, probably because of his abysmal performance in office. That was how and why he returned to manage his online news portal known as Enugumetro and maintained a weekly column in The Sun Newspaper.
While serving as Information Commissioner, it was observed that Anikwe never use his online media, experiences or contacts as renowned journalist to market or promote government policies, projects and activities, as government’s image maker. He was anonymous and nonchalant. He was obviously and hurriedly interested and after monetary benefits and other pecks of office.
Since Anikwe returned to his online media after much hide -and -seek attitude over the rotation of governorship seat in Enugu State, which is against his paymaster, Ekweremadu’s governorship ambition, Anikwe gradually descended into the propaganda arena to champion Ekweremadu’s cause with poor logics, fallacies and distorted facts.
This he did by peddling an article some weeks ago titled “Ndi-Zoning Of Enugu State At it Again.
In the article, Anikwe struggled to blame the political elites in the state with the exclusion of Ekweremadu for the governorship zoning arrangement in the state which he said is fraudulent by being endless and rotational. He rigmaroled and played around words altruistically in the article without making his motive and mission known.
In my response to the article, I made it clear that in the days ahead, Anikwe’s motive and intention, which is not patriotic and altruistic will be made known.
Not too long after my prediction, it has come to fruition with Anikwe’s recent hypocritical actions and inactions aimed at promoting and sustaining his paymaster’s anti-zoning campaigns against the conventional rotation of governorship seat in Enugu state that favours Enugu East Senatorial zone to produce Ugwuanyi’s successor.
To attract undue sympathy, cheap popularity and divert attention, Anikwe falsely accused Ugwuanyi of unleashing media aides on Ekweremadu for declaring his governorship ambition. What a cheap prank and blackmail by Anikwe.
Obviously, Anikwe threw professional ethics and good conscience in the mud and compromised himself, because of his clannishness interest, politics of prebendalism and ultimately to please his paymaster, whose ambition is facing strong resistance from Enugu people over non-adherence to the agreed rotation of the governorship seat.
It could be observed that in less than one week, Ogbuagu has written and hired social media e-rats within and outside the state to write and syndicate articles against the agreed rotation of governorship seat in Enugu State.
One such articles which lacks facts and statistics was published in his Enugumetro online with the title Enugu 2023: Ugwuanyi’s Senate Ambition Overturns Zoning in Enugu North, which he tried to mislead the uncritical publics with false information that Governor Ugwuanyi’s senatorial ambition is responsible for the recent disruption of Nsukka PDP monthly party meeting, insinuating that Ugwuanyi’s ambition is against the zoning of the seat in the senatorial zone.
He belaboured to use his imaginary and falsified painting of the situation to justify his paymaster’s desperate bid to alter the agreed rotation of Enugu governorship seat that favours Enugu East senatorial zone against Enugu West and Enugu North zones.
He failed to tell the world that the monthly party meeting in Nsukka was disrupted by thugs alleged hired by Hon. Pat. Asadu, who is desperately seeking for 5th term to represent Igbo Eze South/ Nsukka Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives as the decision of Nsukka people that they have had enough of his poor representation and insatiable desire for power.
He didn’t tell the world that his paymaster, hired thugs to disrupt the peaceful monthly party meeting in Aninri LGA on the same day. What a yellow and skewed journalism or reporting by a media expert that ought to have known better.
Back to Enugu North Senatorial seat, Ugwuanyi’s ambition is not a problem, because it is in line with equity and fairness in the senatorial zone. Nsukka and Igbo Eze South council areas is one constituency. Late Senator Fidelis Okoro from Nsukka was in the Senate for three terms.
Igbo Eze North and Udenu council areas is one federal constituency as well. Senator Ayogu Eze from Igbo Eze North was in Senate for two term of eight years. Igbo-Etiti and Uzo Uwani Council areas is one Federal Constituency. Senator Chuka Utazi from Uzo-Uwani will be completing his second term in the Senate in 2023, paving way for Udenu, where Ugwuanyi hails from to produce Senator in 2023. This is a verifiable fact.
There is no crisis of zoning of senatorial seat in Enugu North as being propagated and purveyed by Anikwe to hoodwink people and justify Ekweremadu’s sit tight on Enugu West Senatorial seat for 20 years and greedily/ selfishly working to truncate the agreed rotation of governorship seat in the state.
Is Anikwe saying that while Enugu North Senatorial seat has rotated among the three federal constituencies in the senatorial zone, Ekweremadu has not been perpetually sitting on that of Enugu West zone for almost two decades now without shame and conscience?
Just like I said in my last article in response to Anikwe’s earlier article, nobody is afraid of Ekweremadu or will stop him from contesting the primaries and elections, because it is his constitutional right to do so.
The outcome of the impending primary and election will make it clear to Ekweremadu and his anti- governorship zoning campaigners that Enugu people stand for the agreed rotation of governorship seat that has brought peace, equity and fairness in the state since its creation.
Ekweremadu’s inordinate ambition and his social media peddlers’ lies and falsehoods are not enough to sway Enugu people to go contrary to their belief and position, which is the rotation of the governorship seat among the three senatorial zones for the good of all in the state.
The issue of rotation of governorship seat in Enugu is not about Governor Ugwuanyi or his government. It doesn’t not start in Ugwuanyi’s government and surely it will not stop or be altered in and with it.
It has become a tradition and norm in Enugu. It has come to stay. Not even thousands of Ekweremadus or his divisive ambition and tendency can alter it. It is not possible. Ekweremadu can continue to play to the gallery. When it is time, Enugu people will put him where he belongs to.
