By Jonathan Ugwuaja
The recently-sacked and factional governorship candidate of Enugu Labour Party, Bar. Chijioke Edeoga was at it's best again.
Yet to recover from the shock of his sack by court as illegal candidate, Edeoga who has been hibernating from Abuja to Lagos since then with his few Nsukka disgruntled and displaced politicians is now campaigning on Nsukka irredentism, sentiment and parochialism.
Surprisely, Edeoga, who has been struggling to campaign across Enugu State before his sack is now a champion in urban and Diaspora campaigns.
Building castle in the air and playing to the gallery typical of a drowning man like Edeoga, Edeoga at a charade called Townhall meeting in Abuja by an amorphous group called Nsukka Progressives Forum, took on his former and estranged boss Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State.
Edeoga, in a bid to hoodwink his uninformed audience said that Nsukka became more underdeveloped under Ugwuanyi administration, a supposed son of Nsukka, than under any other past administration in the state.
What a belittling and divisive statement coming from a man desiring to be governor of united and peaceful state like Enugu.
Edeoga's mischievous and scathing speech against Governor Ugwuanyi at the event aimed at attracting undue sympathy and support exposed his hypocrisy, pettiness and true character.
How can Edeoga from Enugu East Senatorial zone, who didn't construct or do any infrastructural project and cannot point at any of his achievement in office as local government chairman, House of Representatives member, Special Assistant to President and Commissioner, bemoan state of infrastructure, especially roads in Enugu North Senatorial zone, where Governor Ugwuanyi has massively changed the landscape and face of dilapidated infrastructural projects especially roads in the last seven years plus to the happiness and commendations of many Nsukka people?
How can Edeoga who was Commissioner in Ugwuanyi's government with obvious record of abysmal performance, accuse Governor Ugwuanyi of underdeveloping his Senatorial zone, when the same Ugwuanyi has been accused severally of Nsukkanising governance and projects in Enugu State?
If not for mischief and desperation for cheap political gains, when has Edeoga and his partners in mischief making, Bar. Okey Ezea, Dr. Kenneth Okonkwo and Denis Agbo become more Nsukka than Governor Ugwuanyi that has developed Nsukka more than any leader before him?
Why hasn't Edeoga complained of the state of infrastructure especially roads in his local government, Isi-uzo and senatorial zone, Enugu East, that had worst road networks before Governor Ugwuanyi constructed some of them?
If Edeoga is sincere and sure of what he said, why can't he be specific and accurate by listing the impassable roads and other decayed infrastructure in Nsukka before Governor Ugwuanyi came into office and their state now?
What was the state of Opi/ Nsukka road, before 2015 and what is its state today? What was the state of the internal roads in Nsukka and its environs prior to 2015 and what are their conditions today? What was the number of Nsukka people in appointive political offices and civil service before 2015 and today? What was the state of health institutions in Nsukka as at 2015 and what is it today.
As of 2015, there was no single state tertiary institution in Enugu North zone. Today, the State University of Medical and Applied Sciences (SUMAS) is at the verge of admitting the first set of students through the instrumentality of Gov. Ugwuanyi. But, why is Edeoga campaigning on Nsukka platform and sentiment?Is Governor Ugwuanyi governor of Enugu State or provincial governor of Nsukka or Enugu North Senatorial zone?
Edeoga, who was a kitchen cabinet member of Governor Ugwuanyi's administration some months ago should sincerely provide answers to the aforementioned questions to prove his sincerity.
Doing so, eventhough their answers are obvious to everyone, will certainly expose the character called Edeoga more and why he has concentrated his political activities and movements in Nsukka, instead of the length and breadth of Enugu state.
With the divisive and irredentist speech attributed to Edeoga, which he is yet to debunk, Ndi Enugu can now see a tribalist and ethnic jingoist, who is jostling to be thier Governor in 2023 with Nsukka as his major agenda.
Well, for Bar. Okey Ezea, Denis Agbo, Kenneth Okonkwo's outbursts against Governor Ugwuanyi at the same event, it is not unexpected because they are birds of the same feathers. They are serial blackmailers and political losers.
Ezea and Okonkwo for instance are known garrulous and flippant persons that talk anyhow, considering that talk is cheap. They have been suffering diahorrea of the mouth, especially since they become Nsukka labourers and Labour Party social media jobbers.
Being jobless and frustrated, Ezea has made castigating and impugning on the integrity and office of Governor Ugwuanyi at every gathering a major project and hobby. So seeing the duo including Edeoga talking down on Governor Ugwuanyi ahead of 2023 general elections shouldn't be a surprise to anybody.
All these grandstandings and social media tantrums of theirs against Governor Ugwuanyi will come to a halt after 2023, when Nsukka people will teach them lesson with their votes at the polling units. People should go and read the recent press release by Governor Chukwuma Charles Soludo, CFR entitled " History Beckon and I Will Not Be Silent (part 1) And Be Guided.