2015: Plot to scuttle Chime’s rally for Jonathan thickens

2015: Plot to scuttle Chime’s rally for Jonathan thickens

Governor Sullivan Chime of Enugu State, has declared a work-free day for the grand rally organised by Enugu State Movement for the re-election of President Goodluck, Jonathan scheduled to hold tomorrow at the Nnamdi Azikiwe Stadium, Enugu.
To this end, Chime enjoins civil servants, schools, banks and other corporate institutions to observe the public holiday and take part in the rally, which is intended to drum support for President Jonathan and also mount further pressures on him to formally declare for the 2015 presidential election.
This is also as another grand intra-party plot by some persons loyal to a federal lawmaker to scuttle the rally thickens.
To realise their aim, the people have slated a meeting of Transformation Ambassadors of Nigeria, TAN, Enugu State chapter for today in all the wards.
This is a follow-up from the meeting TAN had at the three senatorial districts last Saturday.
The plot is to invite all the ward coordinators to come to the state capital to collect money from an aide of the federal lawmaker for onward distribution to members tomorrow.
This paper learnt that the event is so carefully designed to coincide with the rally for Jonathan so that most members of TAN who are also members of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in anticipation of the money from their ward coordinators, will be forced to stay back in their wards and not travel to Enugu for the rally for the President.
It was, however, learnt that Governor Chime is leaving no stone unturned in his determination to make the rally a huge success.
“In 2011, Mr. President had a landslide victory in Enugu State. We will surpass that feat in the 2015 presidential elections. That’s why we’re organizing this rally to ask Mr. President to declare his interest without wasting further time,” Chime was reported to have declared.
To ensure the success of the rally, the government involved all prominent citizens of the state as either patrons or promoters.
Chief Ken Nnamani, former President of the Senate is the grand patron, while Chime and other ex-governors of both old Anambra and old Enugu states who are indigenes of the state are patrons.
They include Senator Jim Nwobodo, Admiral Allison Madueke (rtd) and Dr. Okwesilieze Nwodo.
The promoters comprise Prof. Chinedu Nebo, the Minister of Power, the three senators from the state as well as Mrs. Fidelia Njeze, the special adviser on NEPAD to Jonathan, Senators Ben-Collins Ndu and Dubem Onyia.
The Vice-President, Arc. Namadi Sambo, will represent the President at the rally which will be preceded by the commissioning of the Heliport built by Enugu State government for the Nigeria Police Force.
It was also gathered that plans are underway by some interests within the PDP fold to challenge the validity of the position of Engr. Vita Abba as the authentic chairman of the party in the state.
“We have it on good authority that some of our brothers in Abuja have been searching for a Federal High Court judge who will do the hatchet job.
“Their plan is to make some spurious claims before the court about how Engr. Abba was not properly elected. The judge is then expected to uphold their prayer by nullifying his (Abba’s) election as the party chairman.
“In turn, the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, will insist that it’s bound to obey the verdict of the court.”
The single reason for this renewed onslaught, this paper learnt, is a fallout of the last meeting of the party in Abuja where it was decided that the state chairmen of the party would supervise the election of the three-man delegates from each ward who will elect candidates for various seats in the forthcoming primaries.
“They made an attempt to scuttle this arrangement during the meeting in Abuja. But they were told in clear terms that it’s the chairmen that would supervise the process.
“So, their new game-plan is to have their own chairman through the back door so that he will do their bidding,” the source added.