Former deputy senate president Ekweremadu enters the race to become Enugu State governor

FORMER deputy senate president Senator Ike Ekweremadu has formally launched his 2023 Enugu State governorship bid declaring himself a candidate for the Peoples Democratic Party's (PDP) gubernatorial ticket.

Serving as the lawmaker representing Enugu West Senatorial District since 2003,  Senator Ekweremadu was the number two man in the senate between 2007 and 2019. Today, he laid to rest all the speculation regarding his future with a formal declaration in Enugu where he declared that it is now time to focus on Enugu State and Enugu people.

There have been debates about the zoning of the governorship position in Enugu State, with the proponents insisting that it is the turn of the Enugu East Senatorial zone to produce Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi’s successor. However, Senator Ekweremadu, representing Enugu West Senatorial Zone has now publicly joined the race.

Senator Ekweremadu said: "The governorship of Enugu State will help me to serve our people more and better. If elected governor, I will utilise all the experience, friendship, partnership and global contact acquired over the years to transform Enugu State into a model state.”

He added that as a lawmaker, he had initiated and completed many life-changing projects across the three senatorial zones in the state. Senator Ekweremadu said he would implement the vision through good governance, provision of water, road development, education youth and women empowerment, security, health sector reform, employment, economy, energy sufficiency, housing and urban renewal.

Furthermore, Senator Ekweremadu assured that restoration of the people’s faith in governance would be achieved through open door government, delivering on our manifesto and promises to the people. He further stated that he will fight corruption in a creative and effective manner and will deliver justice, equity and liberty to all citizens and residents of Enugu State.

Already, the senator has named a former lawmaker and commissioner for housing in the State, Hon Ogbo Asogwa as his campaign coordinator. When confronted with the ongoing debate on zoning, the senator said no zoning agreement ever existed in Enugu State and none of the governors in the was a product of zoning.

Senator Ekweremadu said: "Chimaroke Nnamani was not a product of zoning because I was the campaign director during his election and at no point did we discuss zoning. Sullivan Chime wasn’t a product of zoning either.”

He added that his Enugu West zone had been marginalized in the guber position, noting that whereas Enugu East had produced three governors, Enugu North two, his Enugu West only produced one governor. He then asked where is the equity.