By Dr. CASMIR AGBO- CHAIRMAN LABOUR PARTY (CURRENT AND ORIGINAL), ENUGU STATE
I will be very brief but to the point. This has become necessary because of what I have heard and seen since the burial of late Ezea.
My Nsukka people, if you don’t know the full story of anything, please shut up and ask questions.
I got to know Okey Ezea, Late, during the time he contested for Governor of Enugu State during Sullivan Chime and I wholeheartedly worked for him without any benefits because of Nsukka course. I have known Edeoga from 1979 at Adada Secondary school then and we had related very well on that ground even though no personal thing as such.
Coming to the election time supra, I was very pivotal in making sure that the two contested under LP as the Chairman. When PO entered LP, we went to Asaba to nominate him as our flag bearer and from Asaba I was speaking with both men.
Late Okey Ezea told me point and blank that he will not contest as he was no longer in a good financial mood but begged that I persuade Edeoga to run so that they can combine. This made me do what I did.
I approached Edeoga and he refused to run under LP. He said that I should make the sale of forms Open to anyone. A request I refused because we only had 7 days left to the end of primaries. I was speaking with late Okey Ezea until I entered Enugu because Malachi Onyechi was carrying me in his car and dropped me at Umunya Anambra state where I picked public transport back to Enugu.
When I returned to my office, I called for a meeting of my state Exco and we deliberated on it and we all agreed to bring in Edeoga by fire or force.
At that time I was working together with NLC and TUC. At the office of TUC we adopted Edeoga without his knowledge. Remember that Odengene has been parading himself as the sole candidate of LP in Enugu State without my consent of which I refused to endorse him because of the love I have for my people who were marginalized but in majority. When Edeoga had it, he had no other option than to accept it. He swallowed it also because of the love he has for our people.
When late Ezea had what I did he called and commended me and now showed interest. His word to me was “this show of love from you to our people will never be forgotten, now I can run because I have a partner whom I can campaign with”.
By that time, the issue of the senatorial form was under contest as Enerst Ik Ugwu had left the House of Rep form he collected to collect Senatorial form. I refused him to fly that senatorial flag.
I insisted that he must continue with his House of Rep form but he pleaded that I allow him to have the senatorial ticket. That is a story for another day.
Now back to Okey Ezea Late. I took Edeoga, Prof. Bart Nnaji, Late Oyibo Chukwu, Late Okey Ezea, Paul Nnamchi and Hon Chidi Obetta to see Our National Chairman Dr Julius Abure in his office at Abuja.
Remember that many people have been going to Abure to have the form but he continued to call him to intimate me. I assured him that I will come up with men who will win elections for us. That show of confidence in me by Abure made me love him, otherwise he would have collected money and imposed condidates on Enugu State and nothing would have happened.
I told him at Abuja that Late Okey Ezea is the man to beat in my zone and if he fails to win, that he should remove me as the state Chairman. In fact I made that solemn declaration for the whole of ENUGU State in front of those men I mentioned.
That is why I frown at their behavior but many of you fail to understand the issue. Edeoga was not the favorite of Abure because Odengene had given out much money but because of my contact with Abure, he allowed me to field in candidates of my choice.
Back to Okey Ezea Late. The issue was how do we make sure that his name appears at INEC portal as LP candidate because Ik Ugwu had taken over and refused to yield to my request to quit the contest. Remember that Ik Ugwu also went to court up to the supreme Court. It was Edeoga’s team of lawyers that Okey was using as he had no money to prosecute that matter. This was done by Edeoga and financed by him.
Going backwards, Late Okey Ezea’s primaries would have hit the rock if not for Edeoga and two other persons who brought in money as Late Okey could not sponsor it. The venue of his primary was changed by me and him when they brought in thugs at Jewell of the Nile in Opi to prevent the primary. Edeoga called and sponsored the movement out of Opi. I went to another location even when INEC refused to show up insisting that it must be at Opi.
Edeoga brought out money with Okey Ugwueze and one other person. To pay for the agents, late Okey found it difficult but I insisted that he had to and he did it. I don’t know how it was done.
As per the campaign, it was Edeoga that bankrolled everything. Okey hardly shows up and when he does, it is late and he leaves before every other person. That is another story.
I had to say this because many people who tell the story of what they don’t know, annoy me.
How can any Nsukka man get up to say that if not for Okey, who is Edeoga. Some naive people here are insulting Edeoga and I ask for what?
Most of these small boys being used here to abuse and insult Okaome are showing us that they lack good training. How can some people go to the extent of booing Edeoga at Ideke’s burial if that actually happened.
So if I was around, some Nsukka people would have the temerity to boo me and I ask pls for what reason. If not for me, Nsukka wouldn’t have been on the ballot at all.
They were ready to buy everything. Do you think I am rich to reject money the way I did by 2022? It is out of home training and my conviction that Nsukka deserves the best but what I have been seeing and hearing, my people lack knowledge and experience to even navigate small zones around them. Why do we hate each other so much?
Oboigede Agbomeje will never leave how I am because of people who can’t appreciate others.
EDEOGA consulted widely before potting to PDP now APC. It was the behavior of the elected members that made Edeoga to even think of leaving.
We discussed it day and night. There was no move I or Edeoga made that was not discussed. He at times called me by 1am to discuss it with me.
How can they abandon us just immediately they started seeing money. Late Okey showed me who he was and I made no mistake in replying to him and told him to go to blazes if he forgot our journey so soon.
Well I leave everything to Almighty God but Edeoga is a man and truly his name is Okaome na Enugu State. I rest this matter for another day.
