Edeoga Defends Reps Ticket Consensus, Says Return to Green Chamber Will Correct Historical Injustice

Our Reporter 

The governorship candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in Enugu State during the 2023 general elections, Chijioke Edeoga, has defended the decision to hand him the consensus ticket for the Enugu East/Isi-Uzo Federal Constituency seat ahead of the 2027 political cycle, insisting that his return to the House of Representatives would restore justice rather than create fresh controversy.

Edeoga's reaction followed criticism from some political stakeholders and observers who argued that the current member representing the constituency, Sunday Nnamchi, should have been allowed to seek a second term in office instead of stepping aside under the arrangement that reportedly favoured Edeoga.

The debate emerged after Edeoga, who represented the constituency in the House of Representatives between 1999 and 2003, was tipped through a consensus arrangement to replace Nnamchi, effectively ending the incumbent lawmaker's chances of securing another term.

Critics of the arrangement argued that Edeoga and Nnamchi are from Isi-Uzo and Enugu East Local Government Areas respectively and questioned the fairness of the zoning process. 

They maintained that replacing one representative from Enugu East with a candidate from Isi-uzo just after one term, could undermine the principle of equitable power sharing between the two local government areas that make up the constituency.

Responding to the criticism, Edeoga revisited the political history of the constituency and traced the origins of the power-sharing agreement between the constituent local governments.

According to him, in 1999 leaders from Isi-Uzo and Enugu East Local Government Areas reached a formal agreement that the House of Representatives seat should rotate between the two councils.

He explained that the agreement was reached by leaders of Isi-Uzo led by him and those of Enugu East led by former House of Representatives member who later became Senator, Gilbert Nnaji.

Edeoga said the understanding was documented and signed by both parties.

Under the arrangement, he noted that he served only one term from 1999 to 2003 before stepping down for Gilbert Nnaji, who subsequently represented the constituency for two terms spanning eight years.

Edeoga said discontent later arose over what many considered an imbalance in the arrangement, arguing that his single tenure compared with Nnaji's two terms triggered political tensions within the state.

He stated that in response to the disagreement, leaders of both local governments reconvened at the palace of Igwe Edward Nnaji, where another agreement reaffirming rotational representation was signed.

According to him, both documents remain in existence and have guided the zoning arrangement over the years.

He further outlined the sequence of representation that followed, noting that Kingsley Ebenyi from Isi-Uzo later served two terms after Gilbert Nnaji's tenure.

Thereafter, Cornelius Nnaji from Enugu East emerged and served one term before being succeeded by Nnamchi, who also hails from Enugu East.

Edeoga argued that with Nnamchi's tenure, Enugu East would have completed eight years in office, making it Isi-Uzo's turn to produce the next representative under the existing rotational framework.

He maintained that his emergence aligns with the historical agreements and political understanding that have governed representation in the constituency since 1999.

He stressed that rather than violating zoning principles, his candidacy seeks to preserve and sustain a system that had largely operated without disruption over the years.

Edeoga also recalled his position as the Labour Party governorship flag bearer and leader during the 2023 elections, saying he had opportunities to alter the arrangement in favour of Isi-Uzo if his intention had been to distort the zoning formula.

"If I wanted to disrupt the zoning arrangement, I had the opportunity to do so as the flag bearer and leader of the Labour Party in 2023," he said.

He added that his intervention was intended to set the record straight and provide historical clarification for those unfamiliar with the political agreements underpinning representation in the federal constituency.

The development has added another dimension to the unfolding political calculations ahead of future electoral contests in Enugu State, especially as debates over zoning and power rotation continue to shape political alignments across various constituencies.