By PETRUS OBI.
Top Enugu Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, guber aspirant and former Deputy President of the Senate, Chief Ike Ekweremadu may have lost out in a last minute bid to return to the Senate.
Ekweremadu’s guber bid hit the rocks after the Enugu State leadership of the All Progressives Congress, APC blocked his moves to join the party and pick it’s Governoship ticket.
The pressure to use some Senators and Governor’s especially Hope Uzodimma of Imo State to lobby the National leadership of the party to force his way into APC also refused to yield positive result.
EverydayNews reliably gathered that prominent PDP leaders across the country reached out to the Mpu born politician not to leave the party which he has helped to nuture and where he is also a leader.
Amongst those who reached out to Ekweremadu is the Presidential Candidate of the party and former Vice President Atiku Abubakar who reportedly convinved him to remain in PDP.
Ekweremadu, after his meeting with the Enugu PDP Governoship Candidate, Barr. Peter Mbah announced his withdrawal from the Enugu guber race.
He also plegded his support for the party and the candidate.
In his withdrawal, he was particular about “compatriots’ whom he said “were busy conspiring and planting landmines to frustrate our rescue and transformation mission. We have witnessed betrayals and high level of ingratitude on this journey.”
The Senator is not however done with 2023 election and was said to have initiated plans with the National Chairman of the PDP Iyorchia Ayu for his possible return to the Senate.
A letter cancelling the PDP Senatorial Primary for Enugu West was actually issued and a new date fixed for a repeat primary.
Our source disclosed that the same forces from the Enugu PDP who stood against him and his line up was again at hand to frustrate the move.
Lastly, Ekweremadu is being mentioned as one of the possible candidates for the PDP Vice President slot.
The in-road and growing support for Peter Obi, Presidential candidate for Labour Party, has forced the PDP who has the South East as part of its stronghold to be considering a South East running mate for Atiku.
Ekweremadu, Chimaroke Nnamani, Anyim Pius Anyim are some of the names being tipped for the position.
The game is still on, and Ekweremadu’s fate may not have been sealed yet, ahead 2023.
