■ Oyegun, Tambuwal, others storm Enugu in solidarity
From Chidi Nnadi and Petrus Obi, Enugu
Former governor of Enugu State Sullivan Chime finally joined the ruling All Progressive Congress, APC, in his hometown Udi yesterday, just as the party rolled out the drums in what it termed Registration and Awareness Rally to welcome the former governor.
A large crowd turned out at the Community Secondary School, Udi/Abia, in Udi Local Government Area of Enugu State for the event in which party members from all the 17 council areas of the state were represented. National Chairman of party, Chief John Oyegun, Governor of Sokoto State, Alhaji Aminu Tambuwal as well as members of athe National Executive Committee, amongst them Senator Osita Izunaso, National Organizing Secretary were on ground to receive governor Chime into the party.
Speaking at the ceremony, Chief Oyegun said he was happy to be at the event because the people of South-east were very special to the party. “People keep joining us but the South-east is special to us because for a long time you have been deceived and neglected.”
He recalled that even though he was in a different party with the former governor when he held sway in Enugu, he admired Chime because he did well as governor “and I was full of admiration because of his vision and performance. We have come to celebrate him because he has seen the future; because he has decided to join to repair the rot caused by the PDP; a man of performance has come to join us. “You are not joining APC because the EFCC is after you. I want to assure the people of Enugu State that great things are on the way; I want to assure the people that good things will happen here.
“From the time we won the election, the party has planned to ensure that the South-east returns to the mainstream of Nigeria politics. The final blocks of that project have been put in place by the arrival of Sullivan to APC.
“Igbos have contributed immensely to the development of this country and you are entitled to full participation in Nigerian politics and the APC is ready to provide the platform.”
Also speaking, National chairman, South East, Chief Emma Eneukwu noted that before Chime became governor it was difficult for the opposition to talk in Enugu State, pointing out that he did what no other governor would have done by granting Buhari as Presidential candidate of APC to make use of the Okpara Square for his campaign. Governor Tambuwal in his remark described Enugu as the Centre point of Igbo politics, recalling that for years the South-east had forged great political alliance which has been beneficial to both parties, stressing that APC means business to work with the people of the zone. Responding shortly after he was presented with party registration card, the former governor noted that it was the very first time he was being registered into a party by the national chairman, “ I thank God that I have left the once-upon-a-time party, PDP, there seems to be no option than APC.