At Last, Chime Formally Joins APC, Rules Out Rift with Nnamani
By Christopher Isiguzo in Enugu
Barring any unforseen circumstance, former Governor of Enugu State, Sullivan Chime will today (Saturday) formally register as a member of the All Progressives Congress (APC), a party he had already vowed to facilitate its victory in the state by 2019.
The former governor had sometime in March resigned his membership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) even as he declared the party dead in view of the leadership crisis that engulfed it since the inception of the present administration.
Checks by THISDAY showed that party leaders in the state led by the chairman, Dr. Ben Nwoye are in high spirit to receive the former governor into the party like they did to other notable politicians including former Senate President, Ken Nnamani and governor of old Anambra State, Senator Jim Nwobodo.
Chime had during a pre-defection press briefing vowed to ensure that his new party clinched the governorship of the state. He also disclosed that he had no personal rift with his
The former governor had sometime in March resigned his membership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) even as he declared the party dead in view of the leadership crisis that engulfed it since the inception of the present administration.
Checks by THISDAY showed that party leaders in the state led by the chairman, Dr. Ben Nwoye are in high spirit to receive the former governor into the party like they did to other notable politicians including former Senate President, Ken Nnamani and governor of old Anambra State, Senator Jim Nwobodo.
Chime had during a pre-defection press briefing vowed to ensure that his new party clinched the governorship of the state. He also disclosed that he had no personal rift with his
predecessor, Chimaraoke Nnamani. He however did not spare the Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu who he accused of sponsoring protests and campaign of calumny against him with the sole intention of stopping his inevitable defection to the APC.
He also used the forum to dismiss as false and mischievous, recent claims by Ekweremadu that he did not provide appointments to people from his Aninri council during his reign as governor.
The former governor maintained that “if things continue this way in 2019, I can assure you that APC will be in government. APC will take over government in Enugu State; what I cannot tell you now is who the candidate will be but anybody running as PDP candidate will be wasting his time.
“There is going to be an election in Anambra State this year and the PDP may not even have a candidate; the Anambra election will teach them a lesson. Every serious politician in Anambra has already moved; I expect PeterObitoendupinAPCifhe still wants to be politically active.
“Let’s not speculate what will happen between now and then but I can assure that the change has come to Enugu State; PDP is now part of history in Enugu State.â€
He also used the forum to dismiss as false and mischievous, recent claims by Ekweremadu that he did not provide appointments to people from his Aninri council during his reign as governor.
The former governor maintained that “if things continue this way in 2019, I can assure you that APC will be in government. APC will take over government in Enugu State; what I cannot tell you now is who the candidate will be but anybody running as PDP candidate will be wasting his time.
“There is going to be an election in Anambra State this year and the PDP may not even have a candidate; the Anambra election will teach them a lesson. Every serious politician in Anambra has already moved; I expect PeterObitoendupinAPCifhe still wants to be politically active.
“Let’s not speculate what will happen between now and then but I can assure that the change has come to Enugu State; PDP is now part of history in Enugu State.â€
Chime, who spoke on a wide range of issues, equally decried the level of negative media reports against him, which he insisted were totally sponsored.
He said: “In about four weeks’ time, it will be exactly two years since I left office. Between then and now, a lot has been said about me, mostly negative. “Most of the stories were being sponsored by whoever. I decided to stay away not just from the media but from politics. But events have formed me out from retirement.
“A lot has happened and not too long ago, I announced my resignation from that party, the PDP. Technically, you can say I left the party but actual fact, the party left me.
“The party left me because the party introduced to me in 1999 no longer exists; that party no longer exists; that party was badly run down, mismanaged; the party abandoned its constitution that used to guide us. The party eventually came to where it is today- dead. It is no longer a functional party.
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