Former Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu has expressed that politicians must not sacrifice competence for godfatherism.
He stated this in a new interview on Sunday while speaking on his ambition to govern Enugu State.
When queried on the reason there is so much opposition to his gubernatorial ambition from unexpected quarters, he said, “It is unfortunate and the tragedy of our time, that we sacrifice competence and experience for mere puppets, who definitely would fail their political ‘god fathers‘, with such alacrity that bewilders. History is replete with such oddities.
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“Shouldn’t the people of Enugu learn from history? Let’s cursorily delve into the past. The Great Zik of Africa, former President of Nigeria, Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, whom I hold in awe and highest respect, was said to have picked Chief Jim Ifeanyichukwu Nwobodo as the candidate of the Nigerian Peoples Party (NPP). We know too well how that relationship ended.
“Ex-Governor Jim Nwobodo also from Enugu East, chose Dr. Chimaroke Nnamani. It is common knowledge how they parted ways and the so called ‘god father’, ran away from the state and hardly visited Enugu throughout the tenure of Chimaroke. Nnamani picked Barrister Sullivan Chime; it ended disastrously. The ex Governor now a senator, ran away from the state and hibernated in the United States and had to be helped back and given a life line politically by the present Governor, Ugwuanyi.
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“In all these, it is crystal clear that anointing candidates and forcing them down the throats of the electorate and people or the state, has its concomitant consequences and always created bad blood in the end. Not only do you deny the people the right to choose their leaders, but they are hoodwinked and boxed to a corner to sing praises just to get their daily bread.
“We are saying no to such archaic processes. Let’s have a level playing ground and let the best emerge through a universal suffrage of the people’s choice and votes respectively.”
Photo Credit: Getty
