Enugu stakeholders on the platform of Enugu Rescue Group, ERG, has faulted a political group, Ife-Emelumma Enugu West, over its claim of an existing governorship zoning arrangement in Enugu State, accusing it of peddling of falsehood.

Ife-Emelumma group had claimed that Enugu stakeholders reached an agreement during the administration of Sullivan Chime to zone the 2015 governorship seat to Enugu North senatorial zone and the 2023 governorship seat to Enugu East senatorial zone.

But reacting through a statement by its National Coordinator, Hon. Ejike Ilo-Tasie, the Enugu Rescue Group (ERG) dismissed the claims as fabrications that fly in the face of logic”.

ERG said: “All these years, they claimed it was the founding fathers of Enugu State that laid down the zoning formula. Suddenly, last year, they shifted to Sullivan Chime era.

“Unfortunately, their claim was punctured by former governor Sullivan Chime who unequivocally stated in a 23rd November 2018 interview in the Sun newspaper that there was no zoning and that he personally took the decision to take the governorship to Nsukka for equity.

“Hear Chime: ‘When Chimaroke Nnamani became governor, it wasn’t zoned to Nkanu, he won against somebody from the West, even in his re-election bid. When I contested, it was free for everybody, people from the North, from the East, from the West, the same thing during my re-election. Then I said fate had made it that the East had done their two terms, myself in second term at the time, I said it will only be fair that we take it to the North to reduce tensions and I promised to work towards it. That was how it happened. We zoned it to the North, not that there was any agreement; it was common sense to reduce problems. I was the leader and I took that decision’’.

When asked by the reporters, for emphasis, if he meant that Enugu people met at any time to chart a zoning course, Chime snapped “Which people?”

ERG also wondered why a conversion for such an important decision that would bind on the entire Enugu for ages was not inclusive.

“Is it not strange that the purported motion on such an important decision that would be binding on the entire Enugu State for ages was moved by Chief Dubem Onyia from Udi, amended by Chief C.C Egumgbe from Udi, seconded by Senator Ben Collins Ndu, another Agabaja man (Udi/Ezeagu block), and presided over by Sullivan Chime, another Udi man? Was that supposed to be a family get-together?

“If it was Enugu State discussing such a serious issue, who represented the Greater Awgu and the other parts of the Enugu State? Who represented the women block, the youth, the traditional institutions, town unions, and the other political parties?

“And if it was a Peoples Democratic Party zoning meeting, what part of the PDP constitution empowers the people so named to undertake such enterprise? Who represented all the party organs and levels of the party?” the group queried.

ERG said besides there was nothing in the document presented by Ife-Emelumma Enugu that suggested a resolution that Enugu East should take the 2023 governorship slot.

“All we saw in the document, which authenticity is still very suspect, is mere minutes of meeting. Nothing in it looks like a resolution to zone Enugu governoship to Enugu East. This is the height of rabble rousing”, they said.

It further challenged Ife-Emelumma’s claim that all Enugu West stakeholders agreed to zone the 2023 governorship slot to Enugu East zone.

“We remember clearly that at the rally, elder statesman, Senator Hyde Onuaguluchi, told Governor Ugwuanyi to is face: ‘Don’t mind those after their own pockets trying to mislead by claiming that there is zoning in Enugu State. It has never been so’.

“We equally recall that no serving Member of the National Assembly from Enugu West was present at the charade and that the jamboree never came up with any communiqué till date”, ERG concluded.