Gov Ugwuanyi’s burden of constituting his cabinet

The new governor of Enugu State, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, is in a confused state on how to accommodate the various interests in his appointments. Still the only governor who is yet to make even one appointment, there are rumours that he is under oath to accede to his predecessor, Sullivan Chime’s requests. MAURICE OKAFOR in Enugu reports

Enugu state governor, Hon Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, appears to be the only newly elected governor throughout the federation who is yet to announce any new appointment two weeks after his inauguration.

The former House of Representatives member since his swearing in has been working with the carry over appointees that worked with his predecessor, former governor Sullivan Chime. This development is not a good one to many of Ugwuanyi’s political associates, friends and relations who are waiting for political appointments.

There have been complaints by concerned citizens who want him to be his own man and start of his administration on a clear note without any interference from any of the alleged power brokers in the state. For instance, at the meeting of PDP stakeholders in the state, he hosted at old government lodge Enugu, many of the stakeholders expressed dismay over Gov Ugwunayi’s tactics in not naming new appointees who would work with him.

Ugwuanyi simply told the gathering that he is making consultations to ensure he doesn’t run into hitches like many of his colleagues in other states. Ugwuanyi further tasked the party leaders in the 17 council areas of the state to recommend two nominees from their respective council areas for appointment in his new cabinet. However, he cautioned that they must be strong members of the ruling party in the state, who have worked hard for the party and must not be relatives of the party leaders.

Even as Gov Ugwuanyi made the clarifications, some of the stakeholders highlighted other grounds, which Ugwuanyi should put into consideration. With a voice vote, a suggestion that Ugwuanyi should pick his appointees among party faithful in the state that worked very hard for the success of his election and ignore every citizen in ‘diaspora’ jostling for political appointment from him was chorused by all. Likewise, the stakeholders urged the new Governor to discard all those who have served in the state government for more than eight from joining his cabinet. They want him to inject new blood into the system.

Amidst these generally accepted contributions, Hon Casmir Ngwoke who was the special assistant to ex-governor Chime on inter-party affairs in his first term, said that the idea of asking party leaders in the council areas to nominate candidates is an invitation to anarchy, stating that the leaders would seek for a way of favouring their cronies to the detriment of astute party members who have worked hard for the party. The implication means generating crisis among the grassroots of the party in the state.

Hon Frank Anioma, who had served as a special assistant on public enlightenment in the state under ex-governor Chimaroke Nnamani’s administration, advised that the best option would have been for Ugwuanyi to start work with his new appointees before now. But Ugwuanyi, who patiently listened to every suggestion made at the meeting, assured that their contributions would influence his decision in the choice of appointments into his cabinet.

The Hallmark checks revealed that this is the first time since the advent of the fourth republic that a Governor of Enugu state would adopt such strategy in making political appointments. Sources disclosed that Ugwuanyi’s envisaged strategy and mode for appointment into his cabinet, where the stakeholders would nominate for him is unique as he would be carving a niche for himself in that direction. This is based on the fact that his predecessors, in the history of Enugu politics never wasted up to a week before appointing the members of their team without any consultation. They also constituted their executive council, without publicly seeking for input or nomination from the stakeholders or their supposed political godfathers as the case may be.

Take for instance, ex-governor Nnamani, who was elected governor of Enugu state in 1999 under the influence and political leadership of Chief Jim Nwobodo, governor of old Anambra state, was reported to have thrown away the list of nominees purported to had come from Nwobodo and that was the origin of their dispute till date. During that period, Nwobodo used his prowess as founding father of PDP in Enugu state to cause 16 out of 24 members of the Enugu state House of Assembly to initiate impeachment proceeding against Nnamani. But they couldn’t succeed, based on the fact that Nnamani, used his executive powers to hire political thugs that chased the 16 legislators, loyal to Nwobodo out of Enugu state. They relocated to Abuja, where Nwobodo was staying as a Senator representing Enugu East senatorial district then, between 1999 and 2003.

Another instance was in the immediate past administration in the state led by Chime. It is on record that Chime, whose PDP governorship nomination ticket and eventual election was solely packaged by Nnamani, immediately threw caution to the wind by not accepting the list of nominees and directives on how to run his administration and party structure, along the line of Nnamani’s already established structure. He decided to form his own political structure and completely broke up from the vestiges of Nnamani.

To mention, Chime disbanded the ‘Ebeano political structure’ through which he was given power, established by his political godfather, Nnamani, immediately he took over as governor and party leader of PDP in Enugu state. Nnamani’s plan with ‘Ebeano political family’ in Enugu state PDP was to maintain a political empire in the state in which he [Nnamani] would be the ultimate leader. But Chime did not only destroy it, he made it impossible for Nnamani to be relevant in the state’s politics.

Presently, Gov. Ugwuanyi is striking a difference from his predecessors by permitting party stakeholders to make an input into the choice of his cabinet members. Ugwaunyi’s open declaration of this strategy before the party stakeholders during their meeting last Saturday, June 6 at old government lodge, further dispelled the speculations making round that Ugwuanyi is under oath to comply with the list of nominees sent to him by Chime.

But one thing that is very glaring is the fact that Ugwuanyi is in a fix on how to accommodate or settle the various political interests that worked for his success at the polls. Political analysts interpreted the development as ‘crew of political jobbers’. Uguwanyi at a point in time before the elections disclosed to Hallmark that there are about 60 differing interest groups championing his electioneering campaigns.

Obviously, to accommodate some of the representatives of these interest groups might be part of the burden delaying Ugwuanyi from making his first appointments.

The Hallmark gathered from grapevine sources that some political stalwarts and elders in Enugu state are on the neck of Ugwuanyi, seeking to have their children or associates considered for appointments. Ugwuanyi in several instances has demonstrated his respect for every past governor and elder statesman in Enugu state, which gave room for their closeness.

As the time ticks, speculations on who Ugwuanyi would appoint to which position are rife, while the Governor appears to be in a confused state on how to accommodate the various interests.