An enraged Governor Sullivan Chime of Enugu State yesterday lashed out at National Assembly members who are indigenes of the state for shunning Enugu State rally held at the 22,000-capacity Nnamdi Azikwe Stadium for the re-election of President Goodluck Jonathan. He described them as merely pretending to be supportive of the President.

This came as Enugu Rescue Group, ERG, described the Enugu rally as damage control from the backlash of the non-support and participation in the Transformation Ambassadors Nigeria (TAN), South East rally in Awka, Anambra State, by those behind the rally.

Of all the National Assembly members from Enugu State, only Senator Ayogu Eze, representing Enugu-North senatorial district was present at the rally.

Governor Chime, while lambasting some National Assembly members who were not present at the rally, said: “Any person that is not present in this rally cannot be said to be supporting President Goodluck Jonathan.

“Enugu is intact as one party and will vote 100 per cent for Jonathan as is evidenced in our block vote in 2011. The President should save the time of coming to Enugu for campaigns because Enugu has decided unequivocally to vote for him.

“I got a call from the Minister of Foreign affairs, Mrs. Vola Onwuleri, this morning telling me that the Federal Government has signed a bilateral agreement with the government of Turkey which will see Turkish airlines operating five flights weekly in and out of Akanu-Ibiam Airport, Emene, Enugu.”

The President, who was represented by the Vice President, Arc. Namadi Sambo, while expressing the deep appreciation of the President, said: “The solidarity Chime and the people of Enugu State has shown on the administration cannot be quantified.

“I agree with all the speakers here that, indeed, we do not need to campaign in Enugu State; we shall simply come to say ‘thank you’ for your support.”

Meanwhile, Enugu Rescue Group, ERG, has slammed Governor Sullivan Chime of Enugu State on the statement, describing PDP members who were not at the Enugu rally as being opposed to President Goodluck Jonathan’s re-election.

The group, in a statement by its Publicity Secretary, Comrade Martin Okenwa, said: “Governor Chime’s comment is an irony because from the turbulent days of the struggle for the emergence of President Jonathan as the acting President to the successful efforts spearheaded by TAN to have the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, adopt Mr. President as its sole candidate, both Enugu State government and the governor are renowned for their opposition and hide-and-seek games.

“Not only was Sullivan Chime the only South East PDP governor who refused to collect the TAN registers to mobilise signatures in support of the President, it is a public knowledge that the governor took the entire State Executive Council and all the local government council chairmen to a birthday party in Umuahia on the day of the rally attended by all the other PDP South East governors.

“The Enugu rally was, therefore, a belated damage control and futile attempt to key himself into the Jonathan 2015 re-election, having seen that Jonathan had carried the day with his adoption by the PDP as its sole presidential candidate.

•Adapted from a Vanguard report. Photo shows Governor Cime.

Update news