The recent wooing of the gubernatorial candidate of the Labour Party during the 2023 general elections in Enugu State, Barr. Chijioke Edeoga, to return to the Peoples Democratic Party by the PDP hierarchy is unsettling the state LP.
Recall that PDP’s state chairman, Dr. Martin Chikwunweike, had led a high-powered delegation, on the orders of Gov. Peter Mbah, on a visit to Edeoga in Enugu last Friday.
They had pleaded with Edeoga, a former member of the House of Representatives, to rejoin PDP, which he left to contest the state guber seat. Edeoga had told the delegation that he would “consult widely, being a product of the mandates of the people.”
The Chairman of the Labour Party, Enugu State, Barr. Casimir Agbo, speaking in Enugu on Tuesday, said, “I’ll advise Edeoga not to leave the Labour Party.
“Something worse could happen to his political career if he rejoins PDP. PDP knows that if they allow Edeoga to stay in LP, the 2027 general elections will be a different game. They know they have not performed well.
“Edeoga is not the problem. The problem is them. In free and fair elections, PDP can’t win. Theirs is gangsterism. Edeoga won the guber election in 2023 but lost due to bad style.”
Agbo said the state LP was aware of the PDP moves even before they became open. According to him, “Edeoga sought our advice.
“He is a tactical politician. He knows the game. He has his rights and is free to join the PDP, although I wouldn’t like him to leave. He is a big tree.
“However, Enugu State PDP is known for cunning ways. He must be careful. They are afraid of a possible repeat of what happened in 2023, especially because between now and 2027, they may have nothing to show as their achievements. Edeoga must be careful.”
The state chairman of the PDP, Dr. Martins Chukwunwuike, earlier said getting Edeoga back to PDP was top on his agenda.
In his words, “We are actually begging Chijioke Edeoga to come back. We have the authorization of the governor.
“We approached Edeoga, and he was very happy. He is a perfect gentleman who respects His Excellency to the core.
“We actually need Edeoga’s support and that of those he controls.
“Prior to the visit, we had some direct interactions, one-on-one, physically. Then we had some phone calls, phone conversations, and text messages that culminated in that visit, which the governor is aware of because, at every stage, the governor knew about it.
“So that visit was to come and make it official that we were asking him to return to the party.
“He never had an issue with our governor. If anything happened, it was with somebody else, but with this governor, whom he has a lot of respect for, there’s nothing wrong between the two of them.
“We now came and made our request open. Someone who said PDP is begging him to come back is correct. We are actually begging him to come back.
“When we achieve it, it will be a win-win situation because, with what happened before, we don’t want to take anybody for granted.
“We want to take everything seriously and make sure that, come 2027, we will try to have a seamless transition to the second term of our governor.”
