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EKWEREMADU UNVEILS ENGR OGBO ASOGWA AS GOVERNORSHIP CAMPAIGN DG, PLEDGES NOT TO TOUCH LOCAL GOVERNMENT FUNDS

-Presents his manifesto, “A Pathway to A New Enugu State”

Enugu: Senator Ike Ekweremadu, CFR, PhD, today, publicly informed Ndi Enugu of his intention to contest for the Governorship of Enugu State in 2023.

The former three-time Deputy President of the Nigerian Senate and Senator representing Enugu in the Red Chamber made the disclosure while entertaining questions from journalists during a Media interactive session held at the classy Best Western Hotel, Enugu.

At the occasion, the man widely seen as a front runner in the Enugu State 2023 Governorship race presented his manifesto encapsulated in a booklet captioned, “A Pathway to A New Enugu State”

The document contained thirteen key areas that his Government shall focus on, if elected.

They include; Industrialization, road infrastructure, special cities, good governance, housing /urban renewal and education. Others are youth employment and empowerment, security, health, water, energy sufficiency, tourism and Agriculture.

Engr Ogbo Asogwa, a former Commissioner for Housing during Governor Ugwuanyi’s first tenure was also unveiled as the Director General of Ekweremadu’s 2023 Governorship Campaign Organization.

The choice is seen as being very strategic as Asogwa, a 1987 Anambra State University of Technology, ASUTECH graduate of Mechanical/Production Engineering from Ede Oballa, Nsukka Local Government Area is a “well heeled political tactician” within Enugu political circles.

He represented Nsukka East constituency in the Enugu State House of Assembly from 1999 to 2003 was then the Deputy Speaker and well as an Acting Speaker.

Ekweremadu, also known by his chieftaincy title,Ikeoha Ndigbo pledged “not to touch Local Government funds”. This is seen as a key policy statement since the various State Governors in the state have always sought to control Local Government funds through the instrumentality of the Joint Account, being operated by the Local Government Councils in conjunction with the State Government.

On the vexatious issue of zoning, Ekweremadu stated that none of the past and present Governors of the state were products of zoning. He went on to challenge claiming that there was any zoning agreement in the state to do the needful by; stating the date of such a meeting where the agreement was arrived at, the venue of such a meeting and also those present at the meeting.

According to him, “The Enugu Zoning controversy is the treachery of politics. Those clamouring for zoning have particular candidates they have in mind.

“If Ndị Enugu have decided to have a zoning agreement, it will be nice for a meeting to be called to that effect”.

He however asserted that he would want to be the Governor of the whole Ndị Enugu, not a “Zonal Governor”

On the issue of the Indigene/non indigene dichotomy, he had this to say; “I shall run a Government without borders. I don’t believe that any person in Enugu State is a non indigene. If you live in Enugu, you are a citizen”

Again on the issue of women /youth inclusiveness in Government, the lawmaker reiterated his position that the solution was “proportional representation, not affirmative action”

He explained that proportional representation would be more favorable for women since it would eliminate the financial hurdle still inherent in Affirmative action.

“In Proportional representation, there are not particular seats being contested for. Rather, each political party states what would be the percentage of women and youths in Parliament, if it wins. After its victory, the party then allocates the seats according to the stated percentage”.

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