2014: Ex-Anambra PDP chair faults Ezeife on power shift

FORMER chairman of Peoples Democratic Party in Anambra State, Chief Ifeatu Obi-Okoye, has faulted former governor of the state, Chief Chukwuemeka Ezeife’s position that Anambra North senatorial zone should produce the next governor of the state.

According to Obi-Okoye, Chief Ezeife is allegedly among those who have frustrated the zone from producing a governor for the state and wondered his sudden u-turn.

He said: “What Dr. Chukwuemeka Ezeife should have done first is to apologize to the people of Anambra North Senatorial zone before his insincere sympathy and the crocodile tears he is now shedding for the people.

“As the state secretary of the Social Democratic Party in 1991, I would wish to remind Dr. Chukwuemeka Ezeife, of how he, in collusion with his kinsman from old Aguata Local Government Area, Prof. Humphery Nwosu, who was then in charge of the National Electoral Commission, truncated and denied Anambra North senatorial zone of an opportunity to produce the governor of Anambra State.

“I recall that we conducted primaries of the SDP three good times in order to nominate our governorship flagbearer and on all three occasions Dr. Raymond Okechukwu Odunze, who hails from Umunya in the North senatorial zone, beat  Dr. Chukwuemeka Ezeife, to emerge the governorship flagbearer of SDP in the state.

“As it were, it was Dr. Chukwuemeka Ezeife, who in collusion with Prof. Humphery Nwosu orchestrated the disqualification and ban of Dr. Okey Odunze from contesting the election. I recall also how Dr. Okey Odunze as he is popularly called was arrested and detained on trumped up charges.

“Consequently, upon Dr. Odunze’s disqualification, Dr. Ezeife, became the beneficiary of this undemocratic act as he went ahead not only to contest and won on the popularity of Dr. Okey Odunze.

“That was, therefore, the most undemocratic manner of denying the people of the North senatorial zone of an opportunity of producing the governor of Anambra State.