Just in: Ekweremadu may join APC, discussion at advanced stage

Just in: Ekweremadu may join APC, discussion at advanced stage

By Madu Ezenoha

High level discussion is now at advanced stage as all is set for Senator Ike Ekweremadu, former Deputy Senate President, to join the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Ekweremadu, and Governor Hope Uzodimma of Imo State, on Monday, met with the National Chairman of the APC Sen. Abdullahi Adamu.

The closed-door meeting lasted three hours at the party’s secretariat in Abuja, with sources close to the party Secretariat disclosing that although Ekweremadu requested for the governorship ticket of the party in Enugu state, but he was told that the party had already concluded it’s guber primaries where Chief Uche Nnaji, Nwakaibie, emerged candidate of the party.

It was learned that the party told the former deputy senate president to join the party first with his supporters and other positions could be worked out for them.

Although Uzodimma disclosed after the marathon meeting ended that he came to see his ‘friend’ for a tete-a-tete, many believed the meeting was to probably make a case for Ekweremadu who has already been edged out of the Peoples Democratic Political (PDP) political equation in Enugu state.

Ekweremadu, who had been in the governorship race if Enugu state under PDP, suddenly announced his withdrawal, 24 hours from the race, citing irregularities in the April 30 delegates election of the party.

To make the matter worse, an Abuja Federal High Court had dismissed suits filed by Ekweremadu’s acolytes seeking the notification of the delegates congress.

The the move by the senator to join APC was coming hours after Enugu State Chairman of the APC, Ugochukwu Agballah, rejected pleas by Ekweremadu to pick the governorship ticket of the party.

Agballah had described the lawmaker’s demand as “repugnant” and antithetical to the Electoral Act.

The APC chairman further warned that the party would not give Ekweremadu the governorship ticket because the ticket was already won by Chief Nnaji, a political grandmaster who had made many governors across Nigeria.

Members of the party are upbeat about the APC flagbearer, Nnaji as they said he is not a strange-bedfellow with politics.

They said he has been a political grand master, but who had preferred to work behind the scene.

Recall that in 1999, he won the senatorial seat for Enugu East under his former party, the Alliance for Democracy (AD), but as a good party man, he stepped down for the former Anambra State Governor, Chief Jim Nwobodo.

This portrayed him as a man not desperate for power, but who is in the race to rescue the people of Enugu State given the mess the PDP government has made of their lives all these years.

Nnaji in a renowned industrialist, construction giant and investment guru who has touched many lives through his philanthropy.