-As Egwu doles cash gifts, tricycles, motorcycles, freezers, generators, sewing machines, others to constituents
-Insists 2023 Ebonyi guber-ticket goes to North
BY NATIONAL PANEL REPORTERS
The First Civilian Governor of Ebonyi State who is currently representing Ebonyi North Senatorial District, Senator Sam Ominyi Egwu has commended the member Board of Trustees of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Chief Austin Edeze for having boldly left his party and joined the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.
NATIONAL PANEL reports that Chief Edeze openly announced his defection to PDP, Tuesday at Senator Egwu's Umebe Izhia country home in Ohaukwu LGA of Ebonyi State, while the Ebonyi PDP bigwig was celebrating Christmas with his constituents.
The APC Chieftain said that his defection to PDP, was because of the irregularities which have taken over the party system in the country, particularly in Ebonyi.
"My message to the Distinguished Senator Sam Egwu, my Boss is to remind you that before the election of 2015, I came to your Palace and I told you that I came to obtain your permission to go to ANPP of that time, to know whether things would get better. Your advice to me was superb, and I can't easily forget it, because you asked me whether I would cope with the party. I insisted on trial and you blessed me. When I was there, I normally told them that I have a Boss who sent me, that any day they happen to maltreat me, I will leave the party, but they have succeeded in turning the party into what is condemnable in a democratic society.
"While in the party, python joins the party and, you know such snake can't delay to devour human flesh no matter how innocent the person may be, and the party has broken into pieces, and this is my candid report. Your Excellency, I tried my best since I joined the party, of which, I have contested the state governorship position for two times. I grew up in the party to the extent of becoming the member Board of Trustees.
"I'm the Director of Buhari Support Organization called BSO in that party, and in 2003, I was the Coordinator of Buhari Campaign Support Organization, and in 2019, I was the state coordinator of Women and Youths' Buhari Campaign Organizations, and I was only person from Ebonyi appointed to be one of the members for the National convention Committee. I'm saying that I was not in the party sleeping, I worked very hard in the party and I was supported because they know what I'm capable of doing.
"The snakes in APC now are many. They are distroying the face of the party and its members, no member is still comfortable with the situation.
"I came back to tell you that I'm backed to the PDP, and my coming back is not like Prodigal Son, because I obtained permission from you. When you called me into politics, I was a classroom teacher, and you trained me till I became a BoT member, and request you make plan to introduce me to the party stakeholders and I'm not going back to APC," Edeze said.
Responding, Senator Egwu described Edeze as a great fish and his own illustrious son in politics who had gone to other party to seek means for survival, though, the journey was not palatable for him and decided to come back to the PDP. "I want to assure you that you are not a prodigal son, but we accept you back with our open heart, and so, you are welcomed," Egwu told Edeze.
The Senator expressed joy over the large turnout during the event, noting that it has become an annual ceremony used to celebrate with his constituents, friends and well-wishers and further advocated for fairness, justice and equity on the governoship position come 2023 in the state.
"Today, we are celebrating Christmas for my zone as usual, one thing we have been saying about PDP, it's a party of justice, fairness and equity - where everybody is recognized and even if you are small you will be given your recognition. People who are big, don't oppress the poor, we recognize the big and the small, and because we are founded on that, Ebonyi State has always remained PDP," he said.
Egwu recalled that since Ebonyi State began observing its democratic election, the PDP has been on the lead, even when those who claimed to be the power-brokers from the old Anambra and Enugu states joined the ANPP, calling the PDP, the children's party.
"They mocked us saying that our party is children's party. Ebonyians were all in ANPP, but because God directed us and we entered in PDP, that party called children's party later won in Ebonyi State. And from that year to the last election, PDP has won every seat in Ebonyi State, starting from the local government to the Federal," Egwu noted.
Speaking further on why zoning the state governorship position should stand in Ebonyi, Egwu revealed that, after the completion of his tenure from 1999 to 2007, many people came to him begging to become the governor, insisted that fairness, justice and equity should be allowed to play at gallery in the state.
"I begged them to allow the spirit of fairness, equity and justice to reign in our state, so that others will understand that, after this zone, they will know that it's their turn to produce the state governor.
"We begged all our people to support Ebonyi Central zone and that's why Chief Martins Elechi emerged as my successor. After Elechi's tenure, we insisted that the governoship position must go to the South, some of our people said that the southern people are more intelligent than us, and began to nurse fears of being maltreated in the scheme of things, but we rejected the idea, that in Ebonyi, we believe in equity, that the governoship position must be zoned to Ebonyi South Senatorial zone," he revealed.
He recalled that during the creation of the state, the southern part of the state were having more educated people than those from the North and Central.
However, Egwu said his belief is that "Ebonyi is a state where everybody must be treated equal. We believe that those our brothers from Enugu State were maltreated, and the same was the experience of our brothers from Abia State. But God graciously joined us to become one state, and therefore, we must accommodate ourselves, by being our brothers-keepers and we worked vigorously for the South to produce the next governor of the state, which our people did and by the grace of God, Dave Umahi becomes the governor today.
"It's in the same principle, that we have said that since the South is about to complete their round, it will go back where it started, so that, we shall follow the same train, that this time around, it's still going to be Ebonyi North that will produce the next governor.
"While I'm giving this explanation is to make our new Chairman in the PDP, to understand the principle, and phases for saying that the 2023 governoship position should go to Ebonyi North. We are not saying this just because of any other thing, not because I'm northern, or that I want to go back to the Senate, but we are in strong support for what is proper. The north has waited for 16years, and therefore, they are the people to produce the next governor.
"This was the view I shared during the reception of the new Catholic Bishop of Abakaliki Diocese, Most Rev Dr Peter Nworie Chukwu by Oha Izhi Nnodo. I made that statement in the church and after my statement, my immediate successor, former Governor Martins Elechi stood up and supported what I said that Ebonyi North Senatorial Zone should produce the next governor of our state come 2023. So, the two former governors in our state have made the statement, and I'm sure the current Governor, Dave Umahi will also do the same. Anything that is contrary to the zoning and observing equity in the governoship position will not be agreed in our state.
"The implication of not supporting Ebonyi North to produce the next governor of the state, is that the principle of equity has been buried and this means the survival of the fittest, if you are strong enough you get the power and this will become the order of the day. We must understand that the Ebonyi North and Central have the population to produce governor of this state any day, we should follow the governance of our dear state with peace, so that everybody will benefit.
"Go and Mark my words, anything contrary to what I have said, will now introduce a situation where the governoship will be between the North and the Central, North and Central repeatedly, which is not good. I'm strongly lamenting now that we should allow zoning of the governorship position to continue, and anything contrary to my words, will introduce another form of dangerous politics in Ebonyi. I'm sure everybody is hearing me. We are talking about the right thing to be done, we are talking about justice, fairness and equity. I'm happy that our party Chairman is here, and he can hear me very well. In democracy, everybody is free to contest, and we are not saying that nobody should contest, but we are saying, it is the turn of Ebonyi North, and we will continue to say that, and not because of selfish interest, but it's a rightful thing to be done.
"So, Ebonyi North, let's continue to support PDP, because PDP is our party and our party is PDP, and by God's grace, because God stands for justice, by 2023, an Izhi man will be the next governor of Ebonyi State. Nobody knows the person who will be the governor, it's only God that knows the person and whosoever God brings is the best for us," he said.
Earlier, the State PDP Chairman, Prince Tochukwu Okorie, the member representing Abakaliki/Izzi Federal Constituency, Chief Slyvester Ogbaga and his counterpart of Ebonyi/Ohaukwu Federal Constituency, Chief Chukwuma Nwazunku applauded the decision by the former APC BoT for joining PDP, and maintained that, Ebonyi remains the PDP State come 2023.
The trio described Senator Egwu as the stabilizer of Ebonyi politics, owing to his fatherly role in promoting peace in all corners of the state and his continuous advocacy for fairness, justice and equity on the governoship position after his administration as the Governor of the state.
Our correspondent reports that Senator Egwu distributed numerous gifts including undisclosed cash, cows, 16-tricycles, 56-motorcycles, many freezers, sewing machines, generators, bags of rice, wrappers, etc to the constituents during the event chaired by the state PDP warlord, Chief Boniface Ofoke, and also pledged that by January 2023, he would share brand new vehicles to the party stakeholders in the state.
