Echoes of 2023 Enugu State Governorship Election, Between Edeoga And Ikeje

From Solomon Ugbabe

The 2023 Enugu Governorship election had come and gone, but, expectedly, the echoes have continued to reverberate in some quarters. This is due to the defeat, shock, and trauma being suffered by the losers, especially the Labour Party governorship candidate, Barr. Chijioke Edeoga, which has made him and his cohorts continue to apportion blames, fabricate, and peddle falsehoods and lies against some Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) bigwigs in the Enugu North Senatorial zone over his loss.

It would be recalled that prominent among the PDP bigwigs from the Enugu North Senatorial zone that Edeoga accused of electoral malpractice, including snatching of ballot boxes and financial inducement in the governorship election on a live television programme on Afia Television Enugu, were the former PDP state chairman and Director General of Peter Mbah Campaign Organization, Chief Ikeje Asogwa, and former Member representing Igbo Eze South/ Nsukka Federal Constituency, Dr. Pat Asadu.

Edeoga libelously and unfoundedly leveled the allegations against the duo on a live television programme immediately after the election without any evidence or weighing the consequences of his infantile and puerile action.

It was disclosed that not happy with the development and the dent Edeoga’s unfounded allegations brought on his personality, Chief Asogwa quickly and through his counsel wrote Edeoga to urgently retract the allegation or statement with a public apology or be ready to face legal action for impugning and demeaning his character without evidence.

Hearing the legal moves by Ikeje against Edeoga, some prominent Enugu political leaders, mainly from the Enugu North Senatorial zone, quickly reached out to, prevailed, and pressured Ikeje to shelve the legal action, allow peace to reign, and not to add more salt to Edeoga’s injury and deflated ego by instituting legal action against him. Ikeje, in his usual magnanimity, spirit of brotherhood, and camaraderie, acceded to the pleas and interventions of the revered political leaders.

The political leaders even tried to arrange a peace and reconciliatory meeting between Edeoga and Ikeje after Governor Peter Mbah’s Supreme Court victory against Edeoga, which the latter declined for political reasons and to avoid being misunderstood.

Recently, after the burial of Senator Ayogu Eze, the duo of Edeoga and Ikeje, among other political stakeholders who attended Senator Eze’s burial, were at Engr. Festus Oshaba (Ferotex) house at Enugu Ezike, Igbo-Eze North LGA.

Edeoga, while exchanging greetings, pleasantries, and banter with dignitaries, got to where Ikeje was seated. Ikeje made it very clear to him that he was not happy with him. Edeoga responded arrogantly, as usual, and Ikeje became angry, and mild drama ensued. It was Hon. Chidi Mark Obetta, Member representing Igbo Eze South/ Nsukka Federal Constituency, that quickly intervened and took Barr. Edeoga away from Ikeje.

After some minutes, Barr. Edeoga came back and apologized to Ikeje and further told him publicly that he will still contest governorship in 2027. Ikeje swiftly responded to him, “Chief Edeoga, don’t waste your money, energy, and time buying a governorship form in 2027 again, because there will be no vacancy in Enugu Lion Building then.”

It is this kind of preposterous and uncanny attitude of Barr. Edeoga and his delusion, such as thinking and planning to contest the governorship election in 2027, that is giving some of his misinformed, hypnotized, and conquered loyalists and apologists erroneous impressions and temerity to be manufacturing and purveying propaganda and falsehoods against loyal PDP leaders and members from the Enugu North Senatorial zone on social media platforms and mainstream media to see if they can pitch them against Governor Mbah and his government ahead of the 2027 elections.