The question of who takes over from Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi has been flying the sky and fanning some persons with unbridled ambition to become governor cold. Some of these folks who clearly are driving against the traffic had begun to heat up the polity too early that they might warm their frozen political selves before the forge with the same heat they had generated. Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, a political generalissimo himself, has remained calm, cool and collected, knowing full well he is fully in charge and no man no matter how he is driven mad by his sadomasochistic ambition can scoop the political water off his head. Ugwuanyi surely holds the yam and the knife. He holds the yam and the knife with a compassionate heart. He deals to everyone their due portion. He is kindhearted and naturally disposed to peaceful coexistence.The fact that Governor Ugwuanyi loves peace does not offer any rebellious politician the crevice of weakness by means of which they could pile pressure on him with a view to smuggle their anti-people ambition through to the throne. The same teeth with which the grasscutter laughs is the same with which it bites. The time is gradually coming for Governor Ugwuanyi to choose his successor in line with the zoning tradition of the PDP. Whoever Ugwuanyi chooses will definitely emerge the governor of Enugu State. No doubt about that and it can be justified within the precinct of democratic governance.
The tyranny of the ancients always comes to the fore when their age-long postulations are being rehashed in modern thinking and research. This is presumed on their having laid the foundations for thoughts on a lot of phenomena within disciplines. But knowledge shall have stagnated if all we do is beat about ancient thoughts, though they form epistemological foundations. I am reflecting on Aristotle’s claim that democracy is the worst form of government because it can lead to the enthronement of a minor when the majority is foolish. But we cannot use a conditional statement to generalize on an object of study. Even if we do, how does a foolish majority obtain? The saying that where ignorance is bliss, it is folly to be wise seems to have doused the thinking of foolish majority. That which the people consider in their worldview as good, indeed, is good and vice versa; after all, it is said that the voice of men is the voice of God. This is without prejudice to human conscience. But where is conscience without consciousness. Cultural conventions and acceptable societal norms and ethical values nurture conscience and they exist within human consciousness, that is, cultural awareness. But there is also a saying that one should not follow the multitude to do evil. Yet Achebe posits that no man, no matter how great, can win judgment against his clan. This is the prevailing power of the majority. So, if the practice is democracy, then the majority prevails.
Democracy is rule by the majority. In its practice, the majority fuses into the minority by way of the election of representatives of the people in government by the people. Individuals are conferred with the right to exercise power on behalf of the people, the majority. So, whatever the representative does is assumed to have been done by the people who relinquished their power to the individual representative, be he president, governor or local government chairman.
In 1999, when the zoning tradition of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) began in Enugu State, the then governor, Dr. Chimaroke Nnamani, after serving two terms of eight years, endorsed Barr. Sullivan Chime as his successor. Then we had pockets of other aspirants to the governorship seat, but once the governor endorsed Sullivan, the people followed him and he emerged the candidate of the party and eventually won the election. The governor did not force the people to accept the candidate of his choice. The acceptance was natural and in the understanding that he on whom the people vested their power and interest had exercised them on their behalf. That was democratic because democracy is government by representation and Chimaroke represented the people of Enugu State in the governance of the state at that time.
It was this same scenario that played out during the administration of Sullivan Chime. In line with zoning, Sullivan made the choice of Rt. Hon. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi. Not only that the party endorsed his choice, the people also accepted it and graciously voted for Ugwuanyi and he emerged the governor of the state. The people of Enugu State have every reason to appreciate Sullivan for the good choice of Ugwuanyi who has caused them to luxuriate in the balmy ecstasy of good governance for the past six years he has so far held sway as the governor of the state, which consists in peace, security and other deliverables in multiple life-impacting projects across the 17 local governments of the state.
Before the emergence of Ugwuanyi, other aspirants had indicated their interests in the seat but the people rejected them because they did not get the acceptance of the man who held the mandate and power to choose for the people. Even when Ayogu Eze sought the mandate with desperate judicial measures, the courts, up to the Supreme court, still sustained the will of the people.
As 2023 draws closer, some aspirants to the governorship seat have begun campaigns especially on social media. Some had begun by impugning the Ugwuanyi administration, using media warlords and cheerleaders who are rather driven by their pecuniary interests. The more they did attack the Ugwuanyi administration the more it ironically gained the commendation and approval of the people of Enugu State who themselves are the beneficiaries of his good governance. The attackers had no more choice than turn a new leaf and began to praise that they had previously condemned. This volte face is in utter realization that whether they praise of condemn the Ugwuanyi administration, Ugwuanyi still holds the mandate of the people and will make the choice of his successor in 2023. Governor Ugwuanyi has made it clear he would be guided by equity, justice and fairplay in taking the decision about his successor.
However, there had been scenarios where the choice of the representative did not reflect the will of the people and the people bypassed them and elected their choice. A typical example of this, what some persons may call failure of the power incumbency, was the case of Goodluck Jonathan. What happens under such situation is the inability of the leader to identify power leakages and have them sealed. Power flows through the people to the led. A leader who knows his onions gives no chance to power leakages.Such power leakages may be brought about by the menace of overambitious politicians who heat up the power flow channel to melting points or some other political developments that also result from unsealed power leakages. But the eagle-eyed leader identifies the weak link and bolsters it. This is what Ugwuanyi has always done and so has remained linked to the power source, the people.
Enugu State is structured around three senatorial zones: Enugu North, Enugu West and Enugu East. Each of the three zones had in its rally pledged its allegiance to Ugwuanyi in line with the zoning tradition. Odinma Nsukka, Oganiru Enugu and Ife Emelu-mma of Enugu West have all pledged to support whoever Ugwuanyi chooses from any of the local governments within Enugu East. The Ebeano political machinery formerly led by Dr. Chimaroke Nnamani had earlier than now subsumed itself to Ugwuanyi’s leadership, saying that wherever Governor Ugwuanyi goes, they follow. By implication, the entire people of Enugu State have once again pledged their loyalty to the leader on whom they vested their power and authority to govern on their behalf. Need more be said on why Ugwuanyi must choose his successor?
Those seeking to upturn the zoning tradition in Enugu State may be banking on power leakages. But Governor Ugwuanyi is thorough. He knows the game and cannot be beaten to it with all the funny shenanigans that is being employed. Some had banked on twisting the Abuja national working committee of the party off the governors’ grip and tried to put their men there. However, the present crop of PDP governors are not a game played with snuff in palm. They know their onions and have adeptly appropriated Abuja to themselves, having ensured their men were put in strategic positions.So, the governors control the structure at the states and the national level of the party. This crevice through which power could have wasted was sealed up by the governors. Even those hopelessly banking to do wonders with the electoral bill and its direct primaries have met with the brick wall of the presidential withholding of assent to it. The rat does not eat that which belongs to a man who is awake. From which angle are you coming to hamstring Ugwuanyi? On your teeth or you chewed the stick?
Governor Ugwuanyi holds the people’s mandate. Who goes to Lion Building in 2023, Governor Ugwuanyi decides.His choice is the choice of the people and whoever he endorses the people shall follow because the people have by democratic process reposed their confidence in him. Ugwuanyi is socketed to the source of power and having allowed no power leakage, the full power of the people flows whole and complete to him. Enugu people look forward to Ugwuanyi’s successor from Enugu East Senatorial Zone who will sustain and build upon Governor Ugwuanyi’s numerous legacies.
Written
By Reuben Onyishi
(Ugoachataberu)
