THE UNWRITTEN ENUGU GOVERNORSHIP RULE

to ensure an equitable distribution of resources

For every government of the world, there is always a need for a change in power at some point. This need can arise due to the death or expiration of the tenure of the present leader.

In some extreme cases, changes occur via conquest or a government being overrun by the military as seen in coups. In such cases, power is transferred hierarchically, through elections or by the right of conquest.

For Enugu State, the practice is a little different. Although Enugu people practice democracy, there exists a rotatory leadership being observed within the state that has been since the inception of the state.

We will look back to history to see how this system has been applied over the years and evaluate its efficiency. This goes a long way to clear the trouble that comes with party politics. This unwritten rule of power rotation is one that will be respected no matter the party in power.

Before the 27 thof August 1991, Enugu state was not as we know it today. It was the capital city of the old Anambra state.

Enugu as we know it today is made up of nine major cities namely: Enugu, Ohum, Nsukka, Ezeagu, Udi, Ńgwọ, Agbani, Aninri and Awgu. These major cities are further divided into three senatorial zones which are: Enugu-East, Enugu-West and Enugu-North, with the latter having the highest population of the three.

The founding fathers of the state had adopted the rotational method in governorship of the state in order to ensure an equitable distribution of resources and also a peaceful transition of power. This prevents any zone from being side-lined when it comes to governance. This pattern is what we see when we explore the governance of the state right from inception. This we will find in history.

When Enugu was still part of the old Anambra State, it happened that two people from Enugu had become governors under the old Anambra. They were Jim Nwobodo and Christian Only. They belonged to Enugu-East and Enugu-West respectively.

With regards to this, the founding fathers of the state had decided that it was then rightfully the turn of Enugu-North to produce a governor since the other two zones had already held power.

Some paid no heed to the rotational agreement that had been reached and went ahead to declare interest for the governorship position in the state. Onuaguluchi and Gbazuagu, who were both from the Enugu-West zone, but being under different political parties, went ahead to contest for the election without regard to the rotational agreement.

However, they both lost, with Onuaguluchi being disqualified from the primaries and Gbazuagu losing to the aspirant from the Enugu-North zone in his own party during the primaries.

Dr Okwesilieze Nwodo who hails from Ukehe in Igbo-Etiti Local Government Area, Enugu north zone won the election, but unfortunately had a short stay in office.

The short stay was a result of the military coup of November 17, 1993, led by General Sani Abacha. This saw the suspension of the civilian government all across the country to make way for a military government.

Dr Chimaroke Nnamani became the next governor of the state in 1999 when the power of leadership was transferred back to the civilians. He won the election because, in line with the rotational agreement, it became the turn of Enugu-East to produce the next governor of the state.

Victor Nduka, from the Enugu-North zone however tried to win the party’s primaries, but the rotational agreement had the upper hand. With Chimaroke being at the helm of affairs in the state, the majority of the developmental programs went to the Enugu-North zone.

The Nigerian Law School, Enugu Campus, Nigerian Air force School, ESUT permanent site and many other projects such as building and rehabilitation of roads were sited in the Enugu-north zone. And unlike the time of Jim Nwobodo, Chimaroke had two tenures in office.

At the end of Chimaroke’s stay in office, Barr. Sullivan Chime was elected the new governor of the state. And as was expected, in line with the rotational agreement, Chime was from the Enugu-West zone. The strength of this agreement was still tested with Oke Ezea, who was from the Enugu-north zone coming out to contest. But still, the agreement held sway.

With Barr. Sullivan Chime in office, most of Enugu’s developmental projects and programs were based in the Enugu-West zone. And with PDP, the party which Chime belonged to, being in charge at the federal level, he had limited problems with resource allocation with which he was to carry out his projects.

This was also backed by the fact that Nigeria was still witnessing a boost in oil sales which formed the greater part of the country’s source of revenue. The same availability of resources also applied to Chimaroke’s time as governor. They both had eight years in office.

Under Chimaroke and Chime’s tenure as governors of the state, the Enugu-North zone felt that they were relatively neglected when it came to developmental projects and programs within the state. This resulted in the clamour for a new state, the Ada state. This however proved abortive. The Enugu-North had the largest number of electorates within the state for it was made up of the two largest communities; Enugu Ezike in Igbo-South Council Area and Aku in Igbo-Etiti Council Area.

In line with the rotational agreement, at this point, it became the turn of the Enugu-North zone to produce the next governor of the state. This was however also necessitated by the clamouring of the zone as they have been neglected by the past governments. As a result, under the People’s Democratic Party, Chime named Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi his successor. After the elections, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, from Orba, emerged as the winner.

Following his election, Enugu-North has witnessed the presence of the government since he took power. There have been numerous projects being carried out all around the state. This includes the construction and rehabilitation of roads and other infrastructural developments within the state.

And just as in the time of Nwodo, the country and indeed the world at large was met with another challenge. This time, it did not come in the form of a coup, instead, the world has been struck by a COVID-19 pandemic, which resulted in the crippling of economies all around the world.

This limited the availability of resources for capital projects across the state. Yet, notwithstanding, the governor remains committed to ensuring they achieve the best possible considering the available resources.

This historical tour that follows the legacy of power transition accounts for how Enugu State Governorship has been organized across time.

Elections and power transfers usually cause conflicts in different societies around the world. So, it is wonderful to see a system that has been built to ensure a smooth and peaceful transition of power.

This is seen in the rotation agreement of the governorship position in Enugu state which can be best described as Gentleman’s Agreement. This rotation pattern is something that is not peculiar to Enugu state, but can also be seen in the politics of Cross River, Edo, Akwa Ibom and Ogun states.

This adopted system does not strip the people of the democratic power to select their leaders, instead, it ensures they are still given these options from all the zones to allow for equitable distribution of resources across the state.

Originally published at http://discoverenugu042.wordpress.com on April 3, 2021.