The Director General of Voice of Nigeria and a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief Osita Okechukwu, has described Enugu State Governor, Rt. Hon. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, as a friendly Governor, explaining that Governor Ugwuanyi “is friendly with almost everybody in the state”.
Fielding questions with newsmen in Enugu, the VON DG who is an APC senatorial aspirant for Enugu West Senatorial District, explained that Governor Ugwuanyi, though in PDP, had maintained friendly disposition with almost everybody in the state irrespective of political party affiliation.
He said: “We have a Governor who is friendly with almost everybody in the state. I’m not the only one he is friendly with. Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi is friendly with everybody in the state. He has no political boundaries”.
Buttressing his point, Okechukwu alleged that Governor Ugwuanyi had asked the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Geoffrey Onyeama, to nominate the contractor executing a road project in his village, and had equally created an autonomous community for the Special Adviser to the President on Legal Reforms, Mrs. Juliet Ibekaku, all members of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Okechukwu who was lamenting his fate in the just concluded political party primaries, and how he was denied the senatorial ticket of his party, the APC, during the interview, stated that his relationship with Governor Ugwuanyi was based on three matters.
Explaining his relationship with the Governor, the VON DG said: “One of my agenda is to revamp the Enugu coal, which Mr. President agrees with me, and when it was becoming very difficult, I was advised to meet with the Governor to do a letter to Mr. President. He did that.
“Then there was bid for a water scheme, one per geopolitical zone, and my friend happened to be the Minister of Water Resources, and when I met him, he said if your Governor will do this and that. I had to meet the Governor to get that and then he is a beneficiary of $15 million scheme.
“Will I because I’m in APC deny my people such project. Will I because I am in APC not to talk to the Governor?”, he asked.
The APC chieftain then listed four projects, which he said he was collaborating with Governor Ugwuanyi. These were the revamping of the coal industry, the $15 million Enugu water scheme, the cassava plant and integrated farm, and the rice farm that would be located at Aninri local government area. – Ichie Ntike
