By Tony Anakani
It is no longer news that the All Progressives Congress, APC, will hold her National Convention on Saturday, March 26th, 2022. As the ruling party gets set for this epoch making event, tongues have started wagging on how the geo-political zones will handle the National Party offices zoned to them. APC as the ruling party has promised avalanche of members and the nation, a Convention to be proud of.This is understandable and expected, because as the ruling party, it must set the right tone to deepen our democracy because what concerns any ruling party, invariably, concerns the country.
After a painstaking distribution of National Party offices, the South East zone was accorded the slot of National Deputy Chairman, South. However, in political horse-trading, it is one thing for a particular position to be ceded to a zone, but it is entirely a different ball game for the zone to show total sense of responsibility and discipline to make the right decision. A lot of things come into play in factoring the plethora of considerations and permutations.What am I saying? The right person must be given the nod for the powerful position owing to the precarious political time the South, nay the South East are currently enmeshed in.
What would the South East gain if it simply walk on by, sleep or shoot itself in the leg, by not presenting a quality, tested and effective individual to the National Working Committee of the party? Very simple answer. The rest of the country, especially the Southern part will see us as not only a bunch of unserious people but also a race peopled by egotistical conservatives.This is very apt because, to the rest, if we cannot present someone of immense and glaring capacity for a regional position, what is the guarantee that, at the appropriate time, we are capable of churning out a President of the entire Republic? In other words, the test of the pudding is in the eating, meaning: something can only be judged to be good or bad after it has been tried or used.
And to be clear, quality representation is not synonymous with how old you are or what mouth- watering position you have held in the past, which maybe, made no bearing or inconsequential to the lives or well-being of the Southerners. If that’s the case, why then should we honour you with another position? Worse still, how can any well meaning or God fearing individual use his current interim position to aspire for the same position. It is highly unethical and amounts to a conflict of interest. This has been the bane of many Igbo political elites and why the zone has experienced stunted political growth and progress.
Putting all these into perspective, one name that has resonated loudly, clearly and positively for the position of APC Deputy National Chairman, micro -zoned to Enugu state, is non other than the Udi born humble, gentle giant and a former National Vice Chairman, South East, of APC, Hon Chief Emma Eneukwu.
Ordinarily, Chief Eneukwu requires no introduction in the political firmament of South East or even the entire political circumference of Nigeria, but for the few people who may not be aware of his pedigree, it has become imperative.
In Chief Emma Eneukwu, APC South in particular and the National echelon, will have someone with capacity, overflowing patriotism and reliability, owing to the fact that his entire political stewardship has been in party administration and management. In 1993, shortly after graduating from our own University of Nigeria Nsukka, Eneukwu was elected as Udi LGA Party Secretary of the defunct National Republican Convention, NRC, a party in Enugu state that peopled the likes of Chief Hyde Onuaguluchi of the famous Hydro – Tech. Thereafter in 1997, after helping to form the Congress for National Consensus, CNC, he emerged the first Enugu State Chairman of the party, then, first Enugu State Chairman of All Peoples Party, APP, in 1999 and when APP merged with late Admiral Augustus Aikhomu’s UNCP and metamorphosed into ANPP, Eneukwu was once again called upon to lead the party in 2002 in Enugu state. Still under the same ANPP, he was the Chairman of all State Chairmen.
Chief Emma Eneukwu aspired to run for the National Chairman of ANPP in 2007, but backed out after the zoning permutations didn’t favour him. Regardless, he emerged as the National Publicity Secretary at the National Convention of ANPP. He also served in numerous sub- committees that shored the fortunes of ANPP.
Not surprisingly, when the merger talks between some mega parties kicked off, Eneukwu was among the ANPP delegates alongside Dr Ogbonnaya Onu, John Oyegun, Senator Sani Yerima, Senator Adamu Aliero, among others. This elevated him as a member of the Central merger Committee, with the Publicity sub- committee as his primary assignment. When the merger became successful, who was called upon to be the APC Convener in Enugu state? Emma Eneukwu. Why? Because the cap fits.
When the Interim Management Committee of APC was constituted under the leadership of Chief Bisi Akande, Emma Eneukwu was the National Welfare Secretary until the 2014 APC National Convention. As if APC cannot have enough of him and his services, he emerged the first elected National Vice Chairman, South East, and was reelected in 2018. His stint as National Vice Chairman was marked with stellar and gusto performances. In all these services to the party, Eneukwu discharged them without blemish, rather, with a high sense of responsibility and discipline. No wonder he has been under monumental pressure to become the Deputy National Chairman, South, on the God appointed March 26th National Convention date.
Can any APC faithful honestly say that the cap doesn’t fit?
Despite showing tremendous capacity in party management, Chief Emma Eneukwu has also demonstrated outstanding leadership capabilities as an enviable administrator in other spheres. In 2016, President Muhammadu Buhari, seeing what others saw, appointed him as a member of the Committee for the distribution of Federal Boards and Parastatals, an assignment he discharged with the fear of God. Not done, he also served as a member of the Presidential Inauguration Committee of President Buhari in 2019.
Eneukwu was again appointed by President Buhari as the Board Chairman of Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital, Kano, where he turned the medical outfit into a world-class facility. President Buhari wouldn’t let him rest as, on October 14th, 2021, Eneukwu was appointed Chairman of Governing board, Project Development Institute, PRODA, Enugu.
There are many more accomplishments and evidence of capacity regarding Emma Eneukwu, but those who are familiar with the Scripture could recall what Apostle John scripted in John 21:25 in his narration of Christ’s work wherein he said that ” there are many other things that Jesus did which if they were written down, I suppose that even the world itself would not contain the books that would be written.” And so it is in trying to enumerate the numerous services of this Enugu born servant of party and country, in its totality.
However, what is really confounding is that behind all the political and administrative experiences of Chief Emma Eneukwu, lies an individual who is not even up to sixty years. Here and therefore, experience plus capacity plus energy will turn to be a balanced equation concerning the next Deputy National Chairman, South, of the All Progressives Congress, APC.
Luckily the Southern APC Governors, especially those from South East and all the other senior leaders, such as Legislators and Ministers are a collection of wise, strategic and patriotic individuals who are aware of the high stakes. They are also aware that we must get it right. The National Delegates to the Convention will also be eager to make the right choice, bearing in mind the urgency of now, which is to let whom the cap fits to wear it – Chief Emma Eneukwu.
Tony Anakani, an APC member writes from Owerri
