Former Enugu State governor, Senator Chimaroke Nnamani and Chairman Senate committee onInformation, Ayogu Eze, were not part of the primaries for senatorial tickets of Peoples Democratic Party in Enugu State on Tuesday.



While Nnamani may have decided to contest under a new platform, Ayogu Eze was a casualty of the deal brokered by President Goodluck Jonathan between the state Governor, Sullivan Chime and the PDP National Chairman, Dr. Okwesilieze Nwodo.



Under the arrangement, Jonathan ceded to Nwodo, the senatorial seat in Enugu North zone, currently occupied by Senator Eze, three House of Representatives seat and nine House of Assembly seats in the zone.



On the other hand, all elective offices in Enugu West and Enugu East senatorial districts will go to Chime, in a bid to resolve the protracted dispute between him and Nwodo over the dissolution of Vita Abba-led Enugu State executive committee of the party by PDPNational Working Committtee.



However, Eze frowned at the situation where the Nwodo was given the chance to determine the emergence of candidates for various elective positions in the North senatorial district.



He told journalists in Enugu that the arrangement was a mockery of internal democracy, which Nwodo preaches.



The Senate spokesman dismissed reports in the media that Chime traded him and other elective office holders in Enugu North off.



He said Chime fought Nwodo for seven months to stop him from handpicking candidates but the national chairman had his way.



“The governor did not celebrate Christmas. Between January 1 and today (Tuesday), he must have made trips to Abuja almost 100 times to stop this,” Ayogu said.



“It was wrong for anybody who saw the humiliation the governor has suffered to say that he traded us off.



“For the past seven months, he has known no peace trying to stop Nwodo. We are happy with what the governor has done and are grateful to him.



“Anybody saying he traded us off must be speaking out of ignorance,” he added.



Meanwhile, counting of votes was ongoing in Enugu West and Enugu East National Assembly primaries at about 7.30pm on Tuesday.



Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, was leading in Enugu West senatorial primaries, while a member of House of Representatives, Gilbert Nnaji was leading in Enugu East.


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