Enugu West senatorial seat: Chime steps down for Ekweremadu

LATEST UPDATE: Enugu West senatorial seat: Chime steps down for Ekweremadu

From CHIDI NNADI, Enugu

Ahead of the National Assembly primary election of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) scheduled to hold tomorrow nationwide, Governor Sullivan Chime of Enugu State has withdrawn from the race of the Enugu West Senatorial District.

Chime made his decision known to the PDP stakeholders in the state during a meeting on Wednesday night at the Enugu Government House.

A source at the meeting, who disclosed this to Daily Sun, said Chime told the stakeholders that he was withdrawing in the over all interest and unity of the party.

The source said the governor told the stakeholders that the party was paramount and above any personal ambition and urged the people of the state, particularly PDP members from Enugu West, to ensure Senator Ike Ekweremadu and other party candidates emerged winners at the primary and general elections.

Chime and Ekweremadu had been up in political arms over who would represent the Enugu West in the Senate, which led to the party in the state dividing into two factions. One led by Chief Ikeji Asogwa and the other by Elder David Aja.

However, the PDP at the national level and the Presidency waded into the crisis in Enugu and Chime was said to have been advised to allow Ekweremadu go back to the Senate while the governor would take charge of producing representatives in the two other senatorial zones.

The new agreement, it was gathered, led to the harmonisation of interests by the two gladiators that ushered in a peaceful election last Saturday during the House of Assembly primary where Chief Asogwa and Elder Aja sat side by side to conduct the election for the aspirants.

The source at the stakeholders’ meeting said President Goodluck Jonathan had mounted pressure on Chime to withdraw his senatorial ambition, adding that the president told him to make that huge sacrifice to save the party that had been inundated with crises across the country.

With Chime’s withdrawal, the coast is now clear for Senator Ekweremadu to clinch the party’s ticket to represent Enugu West in the Senate for four consecutive terms.

When contacted yesterday, the Chief Press Secretary to Chime, Mr. Chukwudi Achife, confirmed that the governor had withdrawn from the senatorial race, but refused to give details of his action.

from http://ift.tt/I8U8zQ



Thanks for Reading The LATEST UPDATE: Enugu West senatorial seat: Chime steps down for Ekweremadu

SHARE WITH FRIENDS