By PETRUS OBI.
The game is on in Enugu. The schemings and manouvres. The mind games. Subtle threats and intimidation have all taken centre stage in the build up to Enugu guber election.
Nobody, not even Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi has said a word, but the body movements are being read and interpreted.
For sometime it was all about Ike Ekweremadu, his declaration and the zoning formular in the state. The fireworks came from all corners but the Senator appear to have enough bullet proof. He was undaunted and went haead to release his campaign posters. The only one yet, in the streets of Enugu.
The Nkanu people who largely dominate the Enugu East Zone where the Governoship could be zoned appear to be fighting on two fronts. The battle to stop Ekweremadu and another against their Isi-uzo brothers.
Even when major stakeholders have openly said they will follow the governor’s choice of candidate, at the same time, the same stakeholders are playing games to armtwist the governor and make him dance to their tune.
Ugwuanyi, a master of the silent game himself is not sleeping. While quietly consulting and testing the waters he is a step ahead of all the Stakeholders and is keeping them on their toes.
Edeoga’s resignation.
Chijioke Edeoga, a Commissioner from Isi-uzo LGA has long been fingered as the most favoured candidate to succeed Ugwuanyi. At a point it appeared a settled matter but the Nkanu people rose to fight and forestall any such plan.
They made it clear that Isi-uzo is the minority in the Enugu East Zone and may have to wait for the others to decide their fate. In clear terms they said an Isi-uzo governor in 2023 is not an option.
Everything appear to be going according to plan until Edeoga resigned as Commissioner and went ahead to pick the guber nomination form.
All politcial camps in Nkanu became jittery. The calculations and permutations resumed. Surely, there is more to this resignation than meets the eyes, they reasoned.
Immediately, so many politicians started reaching out to identify with Edeoga, believing that the Governor may have spoken.
It was in this panic, this uncertainty, this unclear situation that former Minister Frank Nweke Jnr suddenly and unexpectedly joined APGA.
A coincidence?
Definitely not. Rather the game is getting hotter and higher for only the very clever ones to decifer.
Politcial observers see Nweke’s defection as an answer to Edeoga’s emergence as a guber aspirant. They believe that a strong politcial camp in Nkanu used the defection as a subtle threat to Governor Ugwuanyi; what to expect should he decide to ignore an Nkanu candidate.
Another school of thought however see Edeoga as a pon being used by the governor to test the loyalty, the wit, and mindset of the people who have continuously professed total loyalty.
Whichever way, Ugwuanyi appear to be in control and may just have brought more distractions, complexities and confusion to the Enugu guber politcial chess.
