Enugu PDP Denies 16 Lawmakers Automatic Tickets

Only eight out of the 24 serving lawmakers in the Enugu State House of Assembly are re-contesting on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the general elections in April.

Our correspondent reports that of this number, 12 lawmakers would not re-contest, while three would vie on the platform of other political parties.

Three of the lawmakers are vying under a new political party, the People’s Democratic Change (PDC).

Those to contest on the PDP platform are: Mr Abel Chukwu, PDP Aninri, Mr Eugene Odo, Speaker- PDP Igbo-Etiti East, Mr Okey Nwoke, PDP Igbo-Etiti-West and John Anichukwu, PDP Nkanu East.

Others are Mr Mike Onyeze, PDP Igboeze – North 1, Mr Paul Ogbe, PDP Enugu South-Urban, Mrs Theresa Egbo, PDP Enugu-South –Rural, and Mrs Chika Eneh, PDP Udi South.

The following former PDP members are contesting on the platform of the PDC: they are, Mr Anthony Chigbo, Uzo-Uwani, Mr Chukwuma Nnamani, Nkanu West and Mr Marcel Njeze, Udi North.

Twelve other legislators who could not secure PDP nominations because of zoning arrangements had lost out completely.

Reacting to the development, Johnny Obidinma, the leader of the Legislature, said that fielding new candidates to represent a constituency in the assembly was the beauty of democracy.

“In developed countries, the business of lawmaking requires experience but here in Nigeria, we use zoning to ensure equitable representation by people that make up a given constituency.

“It was because of zoning that l will not re-contest. It also affected some of my colleagues too.

“At the end of this legislative tenure, l will go back to my business to resume from where l left off,’’ he stated.

Obidinma urged the public to always show interest in what their representatives were doing in the assembly to ensure that they were not marginalised in the scheme of things.