The candidate of the All Progressives Congress in Enugu State in the April 11 governorship election, Okey Ezea, on Sunday insisted that he was attacked by the party’s national vice chairman in the South East, Emma Eneukwu, over ministerial slot in the incoming Muhammadu Buhari administration.
He said Mr. Eneukwu attempted to slap him in the presence of Governor Rochas Okorocha of Imo State, a senator, Chris Ngige; and other leaders of the party at a meeting in Abuja but that he used his hand to block his attacker.
Mr. Ezea had in a text message to some journalists on Friday alleged that he was attacked by the national vice chairman.
The text reads: “Emma Eneukwu slapped me today because I told South East leaders that Nsukka has not been minister since 1999. He did this before Rochas, Ngige, Izenaso, J.O.J, General Eze, Ucha etc. I just said the truth and requested justice and equity in the affairs of our party and Enugu State. Emma wants to be minister by violence. Emma is from Udi LGA which has minister since 2007, including the incumbent, Chinedu Nebo. We must fight injustice and oppression. APC is change.”
But Mr. Eneukwu denied the allegation, saying there was no such meeting.
Speaking in a telephone interview with PREMIUM TIMES at the weekend, Mr. Ezea said the national vice chairman actually attempted to slap him but that he defended himself.
He said Mr. Eneukwu took offence when he suggested that his zone, Nsukka also called Enugu North Senatorial District, should fill the ministerial slot to be allocated to the state in the Buhari administration.
While the governorship candidate is from Nsukka zone, Mr. Eneukwu hails from the Enugu West Senatorial Zone.
“The guy attacked me. I didn’t want to engage him in a fight. I won’t do that. I did not make up the story. If you are in doubt go and ask Governor Rochas Okorocha or Julius Ucha, Chris Ngige, Izunaso and others that were there,” he said.
The governorship candidate explained that after a meeting of the South East APC members, he and some other members of the party from the Nsukka Zone, sought audience with Mr. Okorocha to discuss the issue of ministerial appointment with him.
He said they explained to the governor that it had almost become an unwritten agreement in the state that the zone that produces the governor should also produce the minister.
According to him, virtually all the ministers appointed from the state in 1999 came from the same zone as the governors of the state and that the incoming APC federal administration should do the same.
“If APC wants to do the right thing, what is wrong with that? That was why everybody agreed that the governor this time should come from Nsukka zone and everybody applauded it.
“Now in this dispensation the governor-elect (Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi) is from Nsukka zone and therefore it is the turn of the Nsukka people to produce the minister if we must talk about equity. The Nsukka people have never been appointed minister. Is that not injustice?
He explained that he was not fighting for himself to be appointed a minister but that he wanted to ensure that the Nsukka zone was not marginalised in the scheme of things.
“This thing is not for myself. I feel I am right because you cannot always go with the crowd,” he said.
Read more: http://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/headlines/182401-enugu-apc-leaders-trade-insults-over-ministerial-appointment-in-buhari-administration.html
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