Since the inception of the administration of governor Ugwuanyi, he has maintained the zoning principle and deepen it in the grassroots level in the state. It is on this basis that the two local government elections held under his administration was very critical in zoning it to the zone or unit whose turn is to produce the chairman or the councilor. He strictly assured and ensured that each zone or units maintained their zoning arrangement in order to cure political acrimony that could arise as a result of denial, marginalization, alienation and dismantle hegemonic structures in the local level that dominate some weaker political zones or units. The administration has been using the zoning principle in siting developmental projects in the state and utilized it in the appointments into sensitive positions in the state.
The PDP in Enugu state must rise up to the occasion and maintain the zoning arrangement in the state. Otherwise, it might cause their defeat in 2023 general elections if altered; which other parties may form political alliance with Enugu East and swept them out in a democratic means. The party must take some lessons from what happened to them in the federal level when they lost the control of the central government as a result of alteration of zoning principle. Efforts to ensure that Dr. Goodluck Jonathan continued in office beyond 2015 proves abortive, as many northern elites in the PDP saw the political move as a distortion of their gains in which power supposed to return to the north in 2015 as agreed in 2011 unwritten agreement. Even members of the PDP mostly from northern extraction secretly worked against Dr. Jonathan and ensure that he failed because they wanted power in all cost.
Enugu state chapter of PDP should be very careful in handling the matter at hand and ensure that Enugu East produced the next governor of the state to consolidate on the peace and legacy development Ugwuanyi administration enthroned.
The masses despite our party affiliation has a moral right to support our amiable governor Rt. Hon. Dr. Ifeanyi Lawrence Ugwuanyi in his agenda in moving the state forward and become the defender of this new wave of politics of dialogue the governor enthroned which killed tigbuo; zogbuo in the State. We all in Enugu State must support Enugu East as they shop for a credible candidate who will succeed the people’s governor come 2023. We have practiced zoning and it is good to our nascent democracy and we must consolidate on the gains. Igbo adage has it Uzo di mma; eje ya ugboro abuo.
Jude Chijioke Achu
MEDIA TEAM MEMBER ( ENUGU DI N’AKACHUKWU MOVEMENT)
